Thanks to those of you who helped when I asked about getting from St. Polten to Prague.
We've now decided to save Prague for another trip, and after cycling from Mariazell to St. Polten, go on to Durnstein and then cycle upstream along the Danube cycle to Passau (against the prevailing traffic and wind, adding to the adventure). My question concerns how easy it will be to travel by train with our bicycles from Passau to Villach, Austria. Looking now at the OEBB SCOTTY website for 27 September, the 8:06 departure (Passau-Linz-Villach) looks perfect, but the "limited space for bicycles" is a bit scary. We probably won't know our precise Passau departure date until 4-5 days prior, once we are cycling on the Danube. Is there any issue with making a reservation that short a time ahead on the OEBB website that I should be aware of? Will we be informed if bicycle space is available, or more importantly NOT available? Or should we make the reservation in person at a station, say Linz Hbf? Is there likely to be a problem with changing a reservation, say to an earlier day, at the Passau Hbf? I am wondering how the German railway folks like dealing with Austrian railway tickets
Posted by
Augsburg, Bavaria
2333 posts
Bycylce transportation is always limited on trains. However, in local trains like that one you are using from Passau to Linz, there rarely is a problem with space for bikes (and space cannot be reserved). That train originates in Passau, so you can be among the first to board and secure space for your bikes. The bigger problem is the RJ from Linz, where reservation for bikes is mandatory. There is a OeBB ticket window at Passau Hbf. but to be on the safe side I'd rather buy the bike tickets at Linz Hbf.
Posted by
OP
Lakewood, Colorado
33 posts
Thanks for the response. Would you suggest we treat the travel as two separate trips, Passau to Linz, and Linz to Villach? We could reserve seats and bicycle space for the Linz-Villach leg when we reach the Danube, or as we cycle through Linz on our way to Passau. I gather from your response that reservations for the bicycles are either not required or not available for the Passau-Linz leg.
Posted by
San Francisco
14509 posts
Hi,
Linz Hbf is a large enough station, has all the amenities, etc. If you want to bring a bike on to the train, the reservation is mandatory. (Fahrradmitnahme reservierungspflichtig)
Posted by
Augsburg, Bavaria
2333 posts
You can transport a bike on an Austrian regional train whenever space is available. There is no fee for it but you cannot reserve space for the bike either. I'd just show up early at Passau Hbf to make sure that there is space available. Your train (R 5913) originates in Passau, so it will sit for 15 min or so before departure in the station. On the other hand, reservation for bikes on the RJ oder EC is mandatory (10% of the ticket price 2nd class +€3 reservation fee). For details refer to this ÖBB website. Nobody can predict whether there will be space available on the Linz - Villach train by the time of your arrival in Passau. So I'd make reservations in Linz at the latest.
EDIT: RJ 596 appears to have only five spaces for bikes.