18 August 2024
Are Austrian trains comfortable? That depends. Fashion.at has a tip.
When traveling on rail tracks, choosing the right train can make a big difference to your comfort. Sure, you can't compare the transportation options offered by the Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) with luxury train services on the level of the Orient Express, as seen in the Agatha Christie movies. But there are worse and better trains within the Austrian public transportation system.
Image: The snapshot from the train shows Lake Wörthersee in Carinthia, Austria.
Since last year, Fashion.at has been using the Klimaticket with a one-time price of 1095 Euro for 12 months for public transportation such as trains, subways, trams and buses without any restrictions on how often or when it is used - and it doesn't make a financial difference if a better equipped train is chosen. The ticket is valid all over the country, on all versions of the main public transport companies in Austria, and if different classes are offered, the Klimaticket is valid for the 2nd class. So far, it's great - there's not much difference to 1st class; and if this would change, a lot of people would probably stop buying the Klimaticket, as traveling by car would become more comfortable and cheaper again. Last year, Fashion.at used trains to reach destinations mainly in Tyrol, Salzburg, Burgenland or Upper Austria, which were comfortable and in most cases had WLAN, an on-board restaurant in a separate carriage and working air conditioning in all carriages and not just a few wagons, as happened recently on a not so well planned trip. High temperatures in trains make even the most positive people grumpy.
If you are not familiar with the dramatic temperature changes in Austria, there are two things to be said: temperatures are rising steadily and breaking records every year, and there are longer periods of heat with so-called tropical nights that do not cool down. This affects not only cities with their overheated concrete surfaces, but also rural areas, which are increasingly having the same problems with soil sealing. The second point concerns these concrete areas, which continue to grow against the protest of the population, with negative effects on nature and, as a consequence, on the climate with rising temperatures. The Klima-Ticket derives it's name from measures that can be actively taken by the population, by every single citizen, by using more often the CO2-saving public transport instead of the car. And many Austrians have made this government strategy a success by joining the action plan. However, public transportation is sometimes disappointing, especially when long-distance trains are not equipped with on-board restaurant, or when the air conditioning is not efficient enough or is out of order. The lack of WLAN connection is also disappointing in times when people are working while traveling, which is one of the advantages of using a train instead of a car. The restaurant is also a benefit of the ticket - car drivers know how much time a short lunch break adds to the duration of the trip.
Some of the trains are very well equipped. The interior looks good. And the seats with high backs and enough distance to the next vis a vis are comfortable for the passengers, there is free internet access, culinary service with hot meals and not to forget toilets that are not only not out of order, but are spacious and designed with an appealing interior. If you haven't taken the few seconds to check out the amenities on the trains you might be traveling on, those - say - four hours on an overheated train can feel like six - or more.
After twelve months and some negative experiences, Fashion.at has a new strategy before planning a trip. Before reserving a seat, which is absolutely necessary on busy days, you should check the trip details page of the ÖBB app to see whether the train you will be spending most of your time on has better facilities. On holidays and weekends, trains are often full of passengers standing in the aisles or sitting on the floor near the doors.Seat reservations cost extra and aren't included in the Klimaticket. The app is free and can be used to show the digital seat reservation ticket as well as the digital Klimaticket. It also provides real-time information about platform changes and arrival and departure times.
To cut a long story short, Fashion.at's tip is to take the well-equipped and comfortable Railjet.
But uncertainties remain: All the travel preparations and precautions taken to eliminate possible negative cases that could spoil the good travel experience won't help if train passengers have to use the rail replacement service due to limited vehicle availability. This may mean that instead of the modern, well-equipped Railjet, you have to take a bus without any amenities. In addition, a longer journey must be expected if the bus, like any other road vehicle, is stuck in a traffic jam.
If you have to make the next train connection on time, as Fashion.at recently experienced on a trip with two different Railjets, it can be a long journey - in fact and in feeling. The reserved seats on the bus were no longer relevant and not everyone waiting for the bus got a seat, which meant that many had to wait for the next bus and most likely missed their next train connection, if they had one. Luckily, Fashion.at accidentally got the last free seat on the bus, so that the second Railjet with reserved seats on the route could be reached in time. But that was luck. The rail replacement service turned the well-planned trip into a lottery.
Conclusion: Even though rail travel is not as predictable as it should be, Fashion.at will use the train more often than the car to reach destinations in Austria over the next twelve months. If possible, with the well air-conditioned Railjet.