The first of four double-decker trains made by CRRC went into service, travelling from Vienna to Salzburg on Wednesday, a Westbahn spokesman told AFP.

Three other trains are to follow in the coming weeks, plying the same route, he said.

The train went into use after Westbahn received the necessary permissions, including from the EU's railway agency ERA, he added.

Westbahn ordered the trains in 2019. Since 2022 they have been doing test runs in Austria.

Austrian transport minister Peter Hanke has criticised the purchase, saying "critical infrastructure in Austria and Europe" should be protected.

"We must not make our mobility dependent on third countries," Hanke said in a statement last week.

Westbahn said a "market failure" forced railway operators to seek alternatives outside of Europe, adding the few European makers were "fully booked for the coming years".

"Anyone wishing to purchase trains today (in Europe) has very limited options, faces years of waiting, and pays an exorbitant price dictated by the restricted competition," Westbahn said in a statement last week, adding passengers were paying the price for this.

So far, the Czech Republic also has CRRC-made regional trains and Hungary has CRRC-made cargo jets, according to Westbahn.

Westbahn -- which is the only provider of long-distance services besides Austria's OeBB -- now has 19 trains in total. Last year, it transported nine million passengers.