Austria's federal railways are having to cope with one of the biggest natural disasters in the country's history, along with the Boris storm. The storm swept across Central and Eastern Europe, causing widespread damage not only in Austria but also in Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania and Slovakia.
In Austria, rail traffic is currently severely limited in a large part of the affected area in the province of Lower Austria. Visit ÖBB reports around forty line interruptions. This makes it difficult to access Vienna from the rest of the country, and consequently from Europe via Germany.
Some of the lines are between Vienna and Linz heading west. Linz and Salzburg can be reached from Vienna by changing trains several times or by taking direct replacement buses. There are several road links between the Austrian capital and Linz.
To the south, the situation is from Vienna to Graz, the country's second-largest city, as well as to Klagenfurt and Slovenia. Intercity trains and Railjets to and from Klagenfurt start and finish at Bruck an der Mur. Graz-Vienna trains stop at Mürzzuschlag. Finally, to the east, services to Hungary temporarily suspended. ÖBB Nightjets are also being cancelled due to line closures.
The ÖBB is therefore calling on travellers not to undertake or to postpone all journeys. that are not absolutely necessary. The Austrian rail company is extending its travel alert until 19 September. Timetable information can be downloaded by clicking on this link link.
