Disruption in St. Pölten

Hours of rail chaos: Now the criticism is pouring in

Passengers were highly critical of the lack of information during the hours-long closure.(Bild: zVg, Krone KREATIV)

Hundreds of train passengers were stranded Saturday night in St. Pölten, the capital of Lower Austria. Among them was Deputy Mayor Michael Kögl. Like many others, he is criticizing the ÖBB’s crisis management.

Michael Kögl was actually walking home when he encountered a conspicuously large number of travelers on the station forecourt in St. Pölten on Saturday night. Some of them recognized the deputy mayor and turned to him in desperation. They didn’t know what was going on. The only thing that was certain: not a single train had run for hours.

The chaos was initially thought to have been triggered by a bird that caused a short circuit in a switchgear. However, as the ÖBB has now reported, a defect in an underground high-voltage cable between the station and the TS substation turned out to be the cause of the disruption. In any case, the consequences were obvious.

Up to 200 euros for a taxi
“For a long time, there was no information, no one was reachable, and the mood was tense,” said Kögl. He watched as travelers—including families with children and people with heavy luggage—turned to taxis and paid up to 200 euros for them. Hotels were not an option: they were largely fully booked due to the triathlon weekend.

In situations like this, good planning and communication are essential. Unfortunately, neither was present that night.

Michael Kögl, Vizebürgermeister

Bild: zVg

According to Kögl, even the few security personnel on site didn’t know what was going on. The politician therefore notified the police, who, according to him, were able to restore order, and eventually reached the ÖBB as well. But the situation remained chaotic: the announced replacement buses did not arrive, and information remained scarce. It wasn’t until around 1 a.m. that the first overcrowded train departed for Tullnerbach, and shortly before 2 a.m., another headed west.

Deputy Mayor Demands Answers
Kögl is now demanding an investigation into the events and answers regarding the information policy during the closure. ÖBB apologizes to the affected passengers for the hours-long disruptions. They acknowledge their responsibility to transport travelers safely and reliably to their destinations. At the same time, the company points out that short-notice service disruptions caused by technical malfunctions or other unforeseen events are equally stressful for passengers and employees alike.

ÖBB: Information Must Be Reliable
Organizing rail replacement service poses a major challenge, especially during nighttime disruptions. This requires arranging buses and drivers on short notice, which are in limited supply, particularly at night. Consequently, delays may occur.

In response to criticism of its information policy, the federal railways emphasize that passengers can only be informed based on verified information. Constantly changing or contradictory reports would further complicate the situation. The incident is now being analyzed, and the experiences described by Kögl will also be included in the evaluation.