New ÖBB hours from December 13 with more offers

ÖBB is expanding its local and long-distance transport capabilities; new night train connections are also starting. Train tickets are not more expensive. The plans in detail.

AUSTRIA. With the new ÖBB timetable from December 13, there will not only be new and more intensive train connections, but also improvements to seat reservation through the app. There are also plans to increase customer friendliness towards cyclists taking their bikes on the train. The new schedule provides 2.3 million additional train kilometers.

The ÖBB Austria Card will remain valid until the 3-Ticket is introduced throughout Austria. Then you could switch to the new ticket, Bahn chief Andreas Matthä promised at a press conference on Wednesday.

The changes in detail:

• New long-distance traffic connections: daily improvements on the routes Graz – Vienna, Salzburg – Innsbruck, Salzburg – Klagenfurt
• New early RJ connection from Vienna via Linz to Salzburg
• New early connection Bregenz – Innsbruck
• Weekend offer extension Vienna – Bischofshofen via Schladming
• Faster and more often from Bregenz to Zurich and Munich
• Every hour from Vienna to Budapest
• From the end of 2022, 13 new Nightjet equipment will be used. The new destination Nightjet Amsterdam (Vienna-Innsbruck-Amsterdam) is added. The Nightjet from Vienna to Brussels will in the future run three times a week throughout the year and will arrive in Brussels a little earlier, at 9.45 am instead of 11.00 am

New seat reservation

With the graphical representation of the seats in the car, Railjets passengers can choose their own seat and find out how many places have already been reserved in the car. This new seat reservation is available for trains from October 19 after the schedule change. In times of the corona pandemic and associated security measures, like staying away, Matthä said.

More emphasis on bike customers

The Federal Railroad has also hired its own bicycle officer. The bicycle is an ideal feeder for the train, the bicycle and the ride is becoming more and more important, said the head of the train. Currently, there are around 50,000 bicycle parking spaces in Austrian train stations, and 1,500 additional parking spaces are built each year. Bicycles can be carried on almost all trains. After the upgrade of night jets, this will also be possible on night trains.

The Federal Railroad will switch from canned drinks to glass bottles in onboard restaurants, keyword sustainability. The goal is to save around 1.4 tons of aluminum.

Gewessler: green ÖBB expansion

Climate Protection Minister Leonore Gewessler is satisfied with more train connections with the new ÖBB timetable from 13 December. In addition to more offers in local and long-distance traffic, a comprehensive expansion of S-Bahn connections in the regions and a night train connection to Amsterdam are planned. Overall, the range of climate-friendly travel options will expand significantly. “With the 1-2-3 ticket we are working on an affordable ticket for the whole of Austria,” Gewessler said.

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