The fateful email from the ex-ÖBB manager

Becomes technical Silvia Kaupa-Götzl good work attested, smart, consistent, hardworking and innovative. She has been with the railway since 2005 and worked her way up to head of long-distance transport, which is part of the ÖBB passenger transport subgroup. The then ÖBB boss and later SPÖ boss (and football fan) Christian Kern was so impressed by her management qualities that he promoted her to head of the railway’s own Postbus AG.

However, Kaupa-Götzl can often appear a bit too tough; diplomacy is less of her qualities as a manager. On the contrary. “Highly emotional, very quick-tempered, social skills are lacking,” is what ÖBB and Postbus circles say. The climate on the Postbus board was anything but harmonious. “Not a team player,” is the summary from colleagues. However, when it came to employee evaluations, Kaupa-Götzl received consistently decent grades.

An email she wrote in 2015 as head of long-distance transport was supposed to cost ÖBB dearly. The EU Commission had initiated competition proceedings against ÖBB and the Czech State Railways (CD). The two railway companies made agreements to prevent the then new, private competitor RegioJet from accessing used wagons – and thus restrict competition, the commission announced on October 23rd, KURIER reported. Because the ÖBB cooperated as key witnesses and presented evidence, the penalty for the Austrians was reduced to 16.7 million euros, while the Czechs received 32 million. The evidence included email communications between an employee, later deputy head of the CD, and his Austrian colleague Kaupa-Götzl.

“Hello Radek”

It was about the trade in used passenger wagons that the ÖBB wanted to sell. There was a very specific conversation about prices and providers. “Hello Radek,” Kaupa-Götzl emailed, “we will ensure that the wagons are not sold to RegioJet.” The colleagues from the regional company “who sell the wagons confirmed this to me today.” Strong stuff, and in writing too.

As head of long-distance transport, Kaupa-Götzl was largely responsible for the arrangements on the ÖBB side. Although her contract was extended last year (3 plus 2 years), she said goodbye this year in April. She explained that she wanted to reorient herself professionally when she turned 50. We hear that her career goal would have been to join the passenger transport board, but that didn’t work out.