Rail travel in Austria

Trains are the best and most common form of mass transportation in Austria. Comfortable and moderately priced trains connect major cities and many towns; buses serve less significant towns and lakes. The two forms of transport are integrated and designed to complement each other, and intercity coaches exist but don't provide anywhere near the level of intercity rail service. Between Vienna, Linz, and Salzburg trains run every 30 minutes or even more frequently. Trains between Vienna and Graz operate hourly. The 2½-hour train ride takes you along one of the world's oldest mountain railways. 14 tunnels and 16 viaducts were built to cross the Alps.

Austrian trains are operated mostly by state-owned company ÖBB. The Raaberbahn (GySEV) provides some trains across the Austrian-Hungarian border and there are some short private railways with tourist trains which supplement rather than compete with the ÖBB.

The only competitor to ÖBB is WestBahn on the Salzburg-Linz-Vienna line (the company shares the name of the line it runs on). Westbahn serves several inner-city stations in Vienna that are otherwise only served by commuter trains, giving travelers more flexibility. While comfort is roughly equivalent, ÖBB Intercity and Railjet trains usually have a full-service restaurant car while Westbahn trains just have a couple of vending machines. Both offer free Wi-Fi.

ÖBB also operate buses (InterCityBus) on the Graz–Klagenfurt–Venice line because the road between these cities is much shorter than the railway.

Train types

• S (S-Bahn/Schnellbahn) – commuter trains offered in several regions and suburban areas
• R (Regionalzug) – slow local trains, stops everywhere
• REX (Regionalexpress) – fast regional trains, stop at more significant stations
• IC (InterCity) – long-distance trains connecting major towns and cities.
• EC (EuroCity) – international long-distance trains
• WB (WestBahn) - private competitor's InterCity service, no through ticketing to other trains possible outside Upper Austria.
• ICE (InterCityExpress) – German high-speed trains
• RJ (Railjet) – Austria's home-grown high-speed trains - unlike ICE they are locomotive hauled and can carry bikes

On suburban and regional trains there is normally only second class. On ICE, IC and EC trains there are two classes. The RailJet offers three classes: Economy (second class), First Class, and Business Class.

Tickets

The ÖBB sell domestic tickets using a price based only upon distance travelled, regardless of when you buy the ticket and which train you take. Base fare is rather expensive, but Austrian Railways offer some interesting discounts. If you buy a ticket from Salzburg to Vienna, that ticket is valid for any train that takes you to Vienna, even for a foreign train stopping inside Austria. (Exception being any train operated by WestBahn, you'll recognize these trains by their white livery with bright green and blue stripes.)

Tickets can be ordered (and paid for) on the web, including itineraries coving connecting trains and involving narrow-gauge, privately operated railways (like in the Zillertal valley). You can also reserve seats for a small fee: that is definitely recommended if you plan to travel with luggage, or if you're traveling as a family or other group and want to be sure you can sit together. Tickets ordered online should be printed and presented to the conductor onboard upon request. They should be printed since they will be barcode-scanned and stamped.

There are ticket machines at all sizable train stations and onboard some regional trains. When boarding regional trains you are required to have purchased a ticket before boarding, if it is possible to buy a ticket via railway office or vending machine at the station you are departing from. (This includes most stations. These stations are marked with SB in all ÖBB timetables). Ticket machines do not display or print itineraries, and many train stations only display basic timetables. It is best to find an itinerary on the Austrian Railways website trip planner. Stations also provide pamphlets with detailed timetables, but they assume that you know which line to board to get to your destination and can only be obtained during office hours.

Rail passes, ÖBB tickets and VORTEILScard are not valid on WestBahn; buy tickets on-line or on board. Westbahn generally offers fewer discounted tickets than ÖBB, but their full-fare, flexible ticket prices are generally cheaper than the equivalent ticket on ÖBB. Unlike ÖBB, it's fine to purchase a ticket on board the train, but this incurs a €1 surcharge. Seat reservations are free with purchase of a ticket. If you plan to combine your trip on WestBahn with a journey on ÖBB or another operator, through tickets are not available; you will have to work out the connection yourself and purchase two separate tickets. Besides the added hassle, this produces the further downside that you are not guaranteed the validity of your ticket in case a delay on one operator makes you miss your trip on the other and you may have problems claiming EU guaranteed passenger rights claims.

Discounts

• SparSchiene are cheap tickets offered between major cities both domestically and internationally. These tickets aren't based on distance, rather they're cheapest when booking well in advance online and are tied to a specific train run and time. Though this offer can be very tempting, especially for those without the VORTEILScard, do consider that they provide less flexibility than regular tickets and are not refundable or changeable and are often sold-out at popular times. For instance SparSchiene tickets from Salzburg to Klagenfurt can be had for €9 in second class, compared to €39 regular price, or €18 with VORTEILScard.
• VORTEILScard gets you a 50% reduction on any domestic rail ticket (depending on the train and whether you buy it online, at a ticket machine or at a counter) and 15% off on cross-border trains in Europe (so called RailPlus discount). The VC is also valid for private railways, except the rack and WestBahn railways. The cards are issued for one year, first by preliminary paper ticket (printed on the spot and valid for the first two months). A plastic ID card is send out by mail, usually within two weeks of original purchase. The VC is available at all ÖBB station ticket offices and counters. You will need your passport to fill out the form and purchase your VORTEILScard. A photo is no longer needed, so always have an ID with you to prove your identity. For one year:
  • VORTEILScard (regular) costs €99 and €66 if you buy it online.
  • VORTEILScard Jugend costs €19 for those under 26 years.
  • VORTEILScard Senior costs €29 for men and women from 65 years.
  • Persons with limited physical mobility or handicaps (for instance the visually impaired) are eligible for certain other versions of the VORTEILScard at extremely nominal prices, although getting these with foreign, or worse-yet non-EU, documents can be a challenge. (Nonetheless you are eligible to have the seat reservation fee waived.) A ticket from Vienna to Salzburg (one way) cost regular €56 and with the VORTEILScard €28 - so if you are under 26, the card is profitable with one ride!
• Group discount for 2 people or more gives you 5-30% discount. Children, youths up to 18 years and youths with VORTEILScard <26 pay half of the reduced fare.
• Einfach-Raus-Ticket can be used by groups of 2-5 people, regardless of age, for unlimited train travel during one day on all Austrian regional trains (categories S, R and REX) and trains run by the operator Raaberbahn. It's valid from 09:00 on weekdays (from midnight on weekends) till 03:00 the following day. The tickets start from €35 for two and costs €4 per additional person, while bringing bikes costs an additional €9.