Vienna - Prague Direct Train - Ticket Amended

[parkender102]

My son is travelling Vienna to Prague on Saturday 27/04/2024 - originally booked on Direct Train REX41 08:56 arriving in Prague at 14:10. I think he booked via Trainline and the ticket is very cheap - 14.30 Euros. However he's received notification that part of the Route is now by bus which is a disappointment as the reason he booked that train is because it was Direct. It's now routed Vienna Franz Josefs - Gopfriz an der Wild - (Bus SV800) - Ceske Velenice - Prague. Arrival Time is the same (14:10) - I assume this is the best route available as the other options have 2 or 3 changes. Any idea why this is? I'm assuming Engineering works but other services seem to be running. Also I would assume the Bus is a Rail Replacement Service so will wait for the train arriving from Vienna before it departs.
Any other info greatly received!

 

[The exile]

Certainly appears to be engineering works (therefor rail replacement bus) - other “all train” options are via different routes.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Looking at the DB and ČD sites, the normal route via Brno is operating, but with single line working west of Kolin on the last lap into Prague, so may be delayed.
RJ72 is timed 0910 from Wien Hbf - Praha hl.n arr 1310.
Fare is CZK 903 for a First Minute ticket. ÖBB wants €83.50 for the same train (full price).
There are other similar trains via Brno, roughly an hourly service.

Omezení provozu - výluka v provozu | České dráhy

The REX service is I think a regional service rather than an IC/RJ service (restaurant car etc), hence the lower fare.
It's the only through service on this route.
The bustitution in Lower Austria looks like lasting a number of weeks.
I'm confused by the times given for this service, as arrival in Praha is shown a lot later on the DB site than the ČD one.

Train R 322 Silva Nortica | ČD

 

[parkender102]

Yes I assumed it was a slower Regional Service as it was so cheap - forgot to mention that the Second Train is R322 as noted above whereas originally it was REX 41 all the way. The other thing is (I Google translated) on the notification against the Bus Service is 'Note: Please purchase your ticket online or via mobile, from the ticket machine or ticket counter before you start your journey'. I would have thought the original ticket for the booked journey covers this and there is no need to purchase a separate Bus Ticket?

 

[rg177]

The Rail Replacement bus will wait for the connecting train - so there's no worry about that. It's usually done in a very efficient manner in the likes of the Czech Republic/Austria.

REX41 is more of a line number - so everything running between Vienna and Gmuend/Ceske Velenice is known as this. R322 is the number for the specific train in the Czech Republic (R stands for 'Rychlik' or 'Fast') and it's also known as REX322 in Austria - it'll have two numbers (REX322 and REX41) as this train will run instead of one of the Regional Express trains in that timeslot. In Austria, on the screens, it'll mostly be known as REX41 as that's what regular users of the line will recognise.

The original ticket for the booked journey will be valid. Those notes just refer to the fact that you can't buy from the driver, so you need to turn up with tickets in hand.

In reality, drivers of replacement buses in many cases won't care about tickets. They want you on the bus, sat down and ready for them to drive!

 

[rvdborgt]

I'm confused by the times given for this service, as arrival in Praha is shown a lot later on the DB site than the ČD one.

Train R 322 Silva Nortica | ČD

I see the same times in the DB planner. It's just that they haven't implemented the 4-minute connection at Göpfritz an der Wild, so they let you take an earlier train from Vienna.

 

[30907]

The OeBB planner (Scotty) has the correct times.

It helps that the train normally has 20min for an engine change and pathing at Ceske Velenice (time to look at the wonderful station interior!) so the overall journey time is the same.

Unfortunately OeBB (and CD) advertises loads of engineering work at relatively short notice; fortunately the roads are quiet and not much slower than the trains, and the buses will be well organised.

 

[nwales58]

If you want cheap on that route use Regiojet. Trainline prob doesn’t sell them

 

[parkender102]

Thanks for all the info - its my sons first rail trip abroad with friends (apart from ones we took them on when they were kids). So only a week away from home and not worth doing it with an Interrail Ticket. Looks like it was easier to book all the multiple legs via Trainline as they are doing Milan - Zurich - Vienna - Prague with overnight stops in all cities. European rail travel very complex when you take into the fact thing like Regiojet which the average layman probably doesn't know about. Luckily now he's been introduced into the world of The Man in Seat 61 and this forum so his future trips he'll be better equipped!

Seemed so much easier in the old days of Interrail where you just wrote your destination in the little Booklet/Ticket and jumped on any train you wanted (plus supplement on the TGV etc)

 

[30907]

Seemed so much easier in the old days of Interrail where you just wrote your destination in the little Booklet/Ticket and jumped on any train you wanted (plus supplement on the TGV etc)

It still is outside France Spain and Italy - Scandinavia was always compulsory reservations.

 

[nwales58]

Your son’s first point of info should hsve been seat61, NOT Trainline etc, if he wanted to save money.

Eg trains to/from Czechia advances are usually much cheaper booked on CD ‘First minute’ fares than on DB, OeBB or the GDS used by other online agents.

Tell him to read and understand seat61 rather thsn follow the sheep advertisement.

 

[parkender102]

Your son’s first point of info should hsve been seat61, NOT Trainline etc, if he wanted to save money.

Eg trains to/from Czechia advances are usually much cheaper booked on CD ‘First minute’ fares than on DB, OeBB or the GDS used by other online agents.

Tell him to read and understand seat61 rather than follow the sheep advertisement.

I think even Seat61 recommends Trainline and other European Booking Platforms owing to the complexity of booking multistop, multiday, multi operator and Reservations etc (which is what his trip is).

If you read the page on European Train Tickets it's mind blowing - especially if you haven't done it before:

How to buy cheap European train tickets | Read this advice first!

How to buy cheap train tickets for travel around Europe.

www.seat61.com

The 14 Euros he paid for Vienna to Prague on a 5 Hour journey I think was pretty reasonable actually.