In Austria (OEBB), what does "Book reservation for trains" give me?
- By
- Aparna Patel
- |
- 28 Jul, 2023
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While Vince’s answer is correct, it may also be that you are not allowed to enter the train at all.
This happens very rarely and only on days where really a lot of people travel (e. g. the last weekend before Christmas or the beginning of big holidays) in peak hours. See for example the newspaper article in German: https://derstandard.at/1308680291332/Wien-Westbahnhof-Polizei-muss-ueberfuellten-OeBB-Zug-raeumen
In pratice though, you could (if you have a normal ticket) take simply the next train.
You might not have a seat.
In European trains, the seat reservation is independent from the train pass. Some trains require a seat reservation (TGVs in France) but not all. In German countries (at least Germany and Austria) it is possible to buy a train ticket and then a seat ticket. You can also buy it anytime (as long as there are seats left) and the price is always the same (apparently 3-3,5€ in Austria)
In practice, what will happen if you don’t pay for the seat is that you’re gonna go through the coaches and search for a free seat. In Austria, it apparently is written on the seat whether it is reserved. Most of the time you’ll find a seat, since trains have hundreds of seats, but you might look for some time.
For long-distance trains (like ICEs across Germany) the seat will be used by several passengers throughout the trip so you might need to switch seat if it is reserved for a short part of the trip.
Another important parameter is peak hours. I suppose the train will be pretty full then. Especially on Railjet trains, that are apparently operating on the main lines of Austrian network.
For more details:
http://www.oebb.at/en/Planning_your_trip/Travel_reservation/Seat_reservations/index.jsp
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