Operations centre for asylum seekers established at Vienna railway station

A new operations centre to cater for the influx of asylum seekers was established at the Vienna Westbahnhof railway station on Tuesday evening.

The centre will be run by representatives from the Austrian Federal Railways (OeBB), police, emergency medical services, and catholic charity organization Caritas.

Vienna-based refugee coordinator Peter Hacker told the Austria Press Agency there would thus be "four clear team leaders" coordinating the effort, with each group having their own clear responsibilities.

He acknowledged however that the OeBB and police would have the key roles in the plan, such as through police representatives stationed at the OeBB traffic control centre to "monitor for early information."

Hacker also praised the efforts of the OeBB, Caritas, and volunteers to care for thousands of refugees at the railway station overnight on Monday, calling their effort "sensational."

He said the OeBB is continuing to provide rooms for refugees who arrive late and must spend the evening there before departing the next day.

Wednesday, as well as Tuesday, saw a lower number of asylum seekers arriving at the train station. The vast majority of arrivals reportedly planned to continue onward to Germany. Endit