Zurich - Vienna 40467 wrong timing

  • 26 November 2023
  • 6 replies
  • 121 views
J

Aka "Story of the ghost train"

 

Wondering if someone had same misfortune like me and managed to get compensation from Interrail/Eurail…

 

What happened: on Nov 26th, Eurail sold reservations for night train from Zurich to Wien (40467) with departure 9.40pm. However it seems the train left at 8.40pm. There were 10-12 people with same issue like me at the railway station, was impossible of course to get any help as it was out of SBB responsibility 

In my situation, consequences were financially huge as this was a connection in the middle of the trip and I had no choice but to spend night in Zurich and move my tomorrow schedule-  today trip only is now more expensive than what I paid for the discounted pass during November seasonal offer

Interracial/Eurail: please fix this schedule and compensate people! I know Switzerland is famous for trains to be on time, but to have a train leaving one hour before the time printed on the ticket is surely something precedently unseen...

 

6 replies

T
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Due to works the night train indeed left an hour earlier than usual. It was planned and known weeks in advance though and it is your responsibility to check when the train leaves and on which platform. Eurail doesn’t inform you on cancellations, delays, timetable changes.

Did Eurail sold you today a ticket with the wrong time ? Then they might be liable but I’m not an expert at all (summoning @rvdborgt here).

J

Ticket (seat reservation) was booked on Friday from the Interrail website, it was part of a journey suggested by the application. And train is still showing at 21h40 on the application, as we speak…

 

 

R
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This is strange. This night train indeed leaves at 20:40 but also for tomorrow (the 27th), Interrail still show the incorrect timetable on their reservation website. This is exactly why you should not plan with the rail planner app or the Interrail website. But the stranger thing is that the reservation itself also shows the incorrect time, even if it was only booked a few days in advance.

You should have been offered overnight accommodation in Zürich. What did the staff there advise?

Keep all receipts of the extra expenses you had and file a claim here:

https://eurail.zendesk.com/hc/en-001/requests/new

In this case, I'd say the seller of the reservation is responsible for this error and therefore also for the extra expenses this has caused.

@Mukhammad could you please look into what causes the wrong timetable in your planner? Especially since this was planned weeks ago and the changed timetables have been distributed via MERITS, see e.g. bahn.com.

Please ask questions in the community and not via a private message. That's the quickest way to get a response. I don't work for Eurail/Interrail.
J

Thank you

Yes, I have raised a claim. I could not speak directly with any customer service  but someone did and got as a response that the probable best option was to take the same train, next day. Again, I was not alone in this situation and we were 10-12 people waiting there, so definitely was an issue with the reservation system…

As it was late time all the desks were closed. We tried to engage SBB agents but they could only confirm that train had already gone and directed us to Eurail. Will probably be a funny memory in a few years from now, but surely was highly displeasing on the moment.

J

To add even more to the fun, not only interrail planning is wrong. Checking on Ceske Drahy for instance, both schedules are still showing for today and trains have different identification:

 

 

R
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Yes, I have raised a claim. I could not speak directly with any customer service  but someone did and got as a response that the probable best option was to take the same train, next day.

That is dangerous advice without checking availability. In any case, if you want that, go to the ticket office to have your reservation changed. This should be free of charge, since yesterday's train was cancelled for you (leaving early is the same as a cancellation). If they want to let you pay, then add the extra expenses to your claim with Interrail. You can also travel during the day of course.

Again, I was not alone in this situation and we were 10-12 people waiting there, so definitely was an issue with the reservation system…

Probably. It's hard to tell though where the source of the problem is.

As it was late time all the desks were closed. We tried to engage SBB agents but they could only confirm that train had already gone and directed us to Eurail.

… and thus ignoring passengers rights. Stranded passengers must always be offered assistance, consisting of overnight accommodation and if needed a ticket/reservations for continuing the journey the next day.

Please ask questions in the community and not via a private message. That's the quickest way to get a response. I don't work for Eurail/Interrail.

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