On December 12, 2021, the timetable for Europe's railway companies will change. The Austrian Federal Railways are expanding their range of international long-distance transport. Another innovation is the price system, which will in future be based on that of airlines.

In future, the basic rule will apply: Those who book early for long-distance transport pay less. According to CEO Andreas Matthä, buying at the counter shortly before the train departs will be the most expensive way to get a ticket in the future. “The increase in the number of travelers and the increased trend in purchasing tickets towards online booking has led to the expansion of our new price system. Those who book earlier and online get a better price than those customers who only buy a ticket at the counter on the day of departure. This means that in the future our customers will have control over how much they will pay for their ticket, ”said the ÖBB General Director.

The price for the ticket is calculated based on the time of booking and the sales channel. The cheapest ticket must be booked in the app or on the web up to 15 days before departure. The variant of buying tickets on the day of travel and at the counter is the most expensive. From December 12, 2021, there will be an innovation for the ÖBB Vorteilscard at the counter: it will offer a 50 percent discount there in the future.

Additional night connections

In the night jet segment, the Austrian Federal Railways are introducing three weekly trips from Vienna via Munich and Strasbourg to Paris. From June 12, 2022, the existing Nightjet will be extended to Berlin and will in future already start from Graz. A EuroNight group of wagons to Warsaw will also be there - giving Graz two new night train destinations at the same time. You can also travel to Romania overnight in a sleeping car - from Vienna to Cluj-Napoca and from Vienna via Timişoara to Bucharest.

The ÖBB are also expanding international direct connections during the day: A Railjet connection Vienna - Innsbruck - Bregenz is being extended to Frankfurt / Main. In the future there will be two direct trains from Graz to Budapest. The Graz-Linz route is to be upgraded.

“We are continuing the quality offensive for our trains and are investing over 4,1 billion euros by 2027 in modern trains and thus the future of travel. We have been following this path for years with great conviction in order to also meet the requirements and wishes of our customers for a modern train fleet, ”says ÖBB CEO Andreas Matthä.