Passenger rights during the Westbahn line closure (May 12 - June 5, 2025)
from Georg Loderbauer
From May 12 to June 5, 2025, there will be another closure of the Westbahn line in the Tullnerfeld area. The reason for this is final repair work following the storm disaster in September 2024. The closure will affect long-distance and local services. During this time, passengers must be prepared for extended journey times, train cancellations, changed departure times and replacement services.
In such cases, passengers are generally entitled to rights - in the case of one-way tickets (long-distance transport) or season tickets (e.g. Klimaticket in local transport).
What is affected? - An overview
Long-distance traffic:
Detour via the "old" western route lead to journey time extensions of up to 53 minutes.
RJX and ICE trains depart Vienna up to 38 minutes earlier in some cases - please check the online timetable.
The Tullnerfeld stop will be canceled, as will several trains (e.g. D 1014, RJ 1224, IC 1018 on certain days).
Night trains, connections to the airport and international trains are also affected.
WESTbahn: see https://westbahn.at/fahrplan/#p1364 or https://westbahn.at/fahrplan/ab-12-05-2025/
ÖBB-PV: https: //www.oebb.at/de/fahrplan/baustelleninformation/bauarbeiten-weststrecke
Local transportation:
Routes such as S80, S50, REX 50/51, CJX5, S40, S4 are severely restricted due to cancellations and rail replacement services.
In some cases there is no replacement service, in other cases Wiener Linien or buses take over the connection.
There are ticket recognitions for affected sections of the Wiener Linien network.
Your rights as a passenger - what you should know
Delayed and canceled long-distance trains:
If your planned arrival is delayed by more than 60 minutes, you can claim compensation.
25% of the fare if you are more than 60 minutes late
50 % of the fare for delays of more than 120 minutes
However, this only applies if the delay was not yet known when the ticket was purchased.
Long-distance transport includes all WESTbahn trains or, in the case of ÖBB-PV, the train types Eurocity (EC), Intercity (ÖBB-IC or IC), ICE, Railjet (RJ), Railjet Xpress (RJX), Interregio (IR) or D-Zug (D).
Passengers with a Klimaticket or other season tickets are also entitled to compensation - but not for individual delays, but collectively:
If the statutory punctuality rate of 93% for the Klimaticket Ö on local and long-distance services or 95% for regional Climate Tickets on local services is not met in a given month, passengers are entitled to a lump-sum compensation for that month.
Cancellation of connections - replacement and transfer options
If your train connection is canceled, the following rights apply:
Alternative use: You may switch to alternative trains at no extra charge, even if these are of higher quality (e.g. from REX to RJX) - In such a case, any train commitment must be canceled by the company.
Substitute services: If a rail replacement service is offered (bus), you must accept this in order to maintain your entitlement to transportation.
Ticket recognition: ÖBB tickets and climate tickets are recognized on certain Wiener Linien lines during the lockdown - e.g. U4, U6, Tram 6/18/60/62 and various bus lines.
Obtain information - obligation of the rail companies
The rail companies are obliged to provide information about changes in a timely and transparent manner. Before every journey you should:
- check the online timetable (e.g. Scotty, ÖBB app, Westbahn app),
- find out about current departure times,
- plan alternative routes if necessary.
Those affected can contact the apf free of charge if no agreement can be reached with the railroad company.