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Euro rail / OBB changed the rail schedule

  • 26 October 2023
  • 12 replies
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I booked all our Euro Rail tickets through Euro rail, I got a notification that the one we had booked from Salzburg to Venice has changed, but there is no where on my existing tickets to be able to change it. Do they automatically put you on the next best one? It doesn’t seem that they assigned us to another train or bus. I’ve send some messages and hope to hear back. But if I go out to rebook, it costs me. 

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Best answer by thibcabe 26 October 2023, 06:31

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Userlevel 7
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What is your train and travel date ? We'll be able to give precise advice.

Unless the train is fully cancelled your reservations are valid on the train with the slightly altered timetable. You don't have to do anything.

You're lucky that Eurail told you about the change. Most of the time they don't and that's a reason why it's better to book through the railway company.

EDIT : When you mean Euro rail tickets you mean Eurail seat reservations, right ?

Seat reservations are totally separate from the app where you need to log each train you'd like to take (in order to redistribute the money fairly). Logging can be done at any time prior to boarding.

Whenever asked on the train show both the app (QR-code, pass) and the PDF/print (seat reservation). You don't need to show optional reservations.

 

Thank you so much for your help. We booked all our train tickets through raileurope.

 

November 9, 2023 Original departure from Salzburg HBF to Venezia S. Lucia at 10:56 with arrival at 18:25.   

 

RAILJET XPRESS #662 DEPART 10:56AM Salzburg Hbf / arrive 12:44 to Innsbruck Hbf.  INTERCHANGE 40 minutes.  Euro city #85 at t13:24 Innsbruck Hbf. Seat 75 and 76 Coach window. Arrive Venice S. Lucia @18:25.

 

The email I received was from OBB and our ticket has OBB on it. This is the email we received today:  

Good day!

There is a deviation or information about your planned trip. 

(i) New information about your trip on November 9th, 2023

 

Salzburg Hbf > Venezia Santa Lucia

Departure at 10:56
Arrived at 6:25 p.m

Get the current timetable now >

 

Note about your trip

The timetable for your connection from Salzburg Hbf (09.11.2023 10:56) to Venezia Santa Lucia has changed. Please find out about alternative connections online.


Please find out about the current timetable online.

These seem to be the options. But again, I can’t even go to my original ticket and change anything.

Userlevel 7
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Ok so you don't have Eurail passes for terminology. For next time please don't book tickets through a third party, you won't necessarily get informed about changes (this time you did!) and compensation would be harder to get if needed. Use the railway companies websites like DB or OBB.

There are engineering works between Salzburg and Innsbruck in the Deutsches Eck, the part of the railway through Germany. Every other hour the fast RJX is cancelled and replaced by a bus. You're out of luck, it's yours that is cancelled.

Your itinerary will look as follows :

- Bus Salzburg Hbf - Wörgl Hbf 10:10 - 11:50

- RJX Wörgl Hbf - Innsbruck Hbf 12:15 - 12:44

- EC Innsbruck Hbf - Venezia S. Lucia 13:24 - 18:25

Your tickets/reservations are still valid, you don't have to do anything. Simply show up earlier for the bus and follow the signs/ask staff to find the stop. Reservations are not possible on the bus, it works in a first come first served basis. However don't worry too much, there should be seats for everyone.

ÖBB only shows the fastest options in the screenshot but actually all your trains run except for the bit to Wörgl. Yours isn't the fastest but you've got only 2 changes (previously one) and a good margin in Innsbruck.

Enjoy the trip, I'll be in Salzburg at around the same time haha ! :)

Thank you so much for this information and maybe we will bump into you in Salzburg : )

We are in St. Louis, MO, so the whole rail system is different and I wasn’t sure who to book through. The one we used enabled me to book all 4 countries at one time. It’s odd, though that the third party wouldn’t offer refund on train changes.  As I would love to book an earlier train.

Is the bus location near the train station? We are staying at an AIRbnb, so will ask our host for help I guess.

Userlevel 7
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The bus station is directly outside the train station in Salzburg.

In any case, when the railway is laying on replacement buses they always make them as easy and close as possible, with plenty of people around to direct you.

If in any doubt, ask one of the staff at the station, or check the departure screens.

Userlevel 7
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We are in St. Louis, MO, so the whole rail system is different and I wasn’t sure who to book through. The one we used enabled me to book all 4 countries at one time. It’s odd, though that the third party wouldn’t offer refund on train changes.  As I would love to book an earlier train.

Rail Europe is fine, and has the benefit of being able to reserve trains a lot of different countries - and in English too!

But it is an agent, so it adds booking fees to the cost. And things aren’t always so easy when you have to make change or refunds. 

In the end, it’s down to how much you value a ‘one stop shop’ vs going direct to each train company.

Another question, what part/section of the train can we sit in that we won’t get bumped by people with reserve seating.  From Munich to Prague, at the 2nd to last stop, people got on who had a reserved seat and we were lucky to find an empty seat.

 

is there a section that is always unreserved ?

Userlevel 7
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Which train do you mean ? Generally you can book seats anywhere but there should be an indication over or on the seats : small screen or paper slip.

The RJX from Wörgl shouldn't be busy since it starts there. Head to the front/rear end to find more seats : people are generally lazy and board in the middle ! :)

I'd book reservations on the EC to Venice for peace of mind. They can be made on oebb.at for 3€. Select seat only.

Munich - Prague is a special case btw : you can't book seats for the whole journey (operated by ALEX) but you can for journeys within Czechia (through the national operator CD)...

We are on this 

 

Userlevel 7
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Then feel free to book seats on oebb.at : 3€ per person for the whole journey. Select reservation only. There’s a seat map for the second train : click on reservation details.

Looks like the first train has 13 booked seats so it should be pretty empty… the second one will likely be busier.

Thanks so much, we will book seats!!!

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