A Comfortable Trip to Venice?

ÖBB Odyssey: “They let us down big time”

A dense crowd gathered in front of the replacement bus(Bild: „Krone“-Leserreporter, Krone KREATIV)

“Travel directly and comfortably to the magical city with ÖBB,” the Austrian Federal Railways advertises its service to Venice. But one Viennese man didn’t find the train trip quite so comfortable or direct: “I was three and a half hours late on the way there and two hours late on the way back,” said the less-than-pleased 37-year-old.

Full of anticipation, Stefan B. set off on his vacation to Venice from Vienna Central Station on Monday. But in Tarvisio Boscoverde, he was suddenly told: “Please get off the train!”

“The ÖBB offered no support or information over the phone; they simply referred us to buses that were supposed to arrive,” said the 37-year-old. The Viennese man waited nearly two and a half hours alongside hundreds of other passengers in extreme temperatures for his journey to continue.

A dense crowd gathered in front of the replacement bus(Bild: „Krone“-Leserreporter, Krone KREATIV)

When one of the long-awaited buses finally arrived, the crowd was, of course, huge. “The bus drivers tried to calm the situation down a bit,” B. reported. 

Although the chaos was caused by a malfunctioning train, there was no apology and no mention of compensation.

Stefan B. ist enttäuscht.

Since the situation seemed hopeless for the 37-year-old, he—like many other passengers—arranged his onward journey on his own via a regional train. With a delay of just under three and a half hours, Stefan B. finally reached Venice.

Stranded in Tarcento(Bild: „Krone“-Leserreporter)

Stalled Twice on the Return Trip
On Wednesday, it was time to head back home again. However, this time, too, the journey was not without incident: the train broke down twice, and passengers were not informed. With a two-hour delay, Stefan B. finally arrived in Vienna at 2 a.m.

Even with the delay, the train was supposed to arrive in Vienna at 1 a.m. In fact, Stefan B. reached the main station at 2:07 a.m.(Bild: „Krone“-Leserreporter)

“Having problems like this with the ÖBB is really a stroke of bad luck, and unfortunately, their crisis management left a lot to be desired,” the Viennese man concludes soberly: “They just left people hanging and told them they’d just have to be patient...”

In response to an inquiry from krone.at, the ÖBB apologized: “We regret the inconvenience caused.” Those affected can contact the ÖBB to inquire about possible compensation for the delay.