Train Route Cancelled and Problems Contact OBB

If they cancelled the train you booked, you can ride any other OeBB train you want without changing your ticket on that date.
So you really do not have to do anything except decide what other train you want to take.

Thank you Sam, I was hoping this was the case but I found their FAQ pretty unclear. It looks like there is an option to reserve a seat only if you have a ticket already so hopefully that will work it just makes me nervous!

It is very unusual that a long-distance train is removed from the schedule. Could you give us the date and train number in question?

Regarding the phone calls, +4351717 is correct for mobile phones, 0114351717 for land line phones.
There is a catch, though. The number 5, which looks like an area code, actually denotes a location independent number, to be dialled without a real area code throughout the whole country. Phone companies charge you extra for this service, which might be the reason for not getting through.

I just looked at what I believe is your travel date. What a mess. Sorry.

construction works
Construction work due to flooding on the Western line - changes to timetable/rerouting/train cannot operate - Due to construction work and the removal of...

So you really do not have to do anything except decide what other
train you want to take.

ATTENTION: Peak travel day/journey is only guaranteed with a seat reservation
Salzburg Hbf - Wien Hbf

Except to buy a new seat reservation on a train that is actually running.

Train travel is very different from air travel. When you buy a train ticket you do no buy a place on a vehicle, you buy transportation from one point to another. So you have a ticket from Salzburg to Budapest. That is all you need to get from Salzburg to Budapest.

So what you need to know is this:
- A train ticket is a contract. The contract stipulates that the railways, in this case OBB and MAV, have to transport you from Salzburg to Budapest.
- The fact that the train you selected during booking has been cancelled does not mean your ticket is cancelled. The ticket is valid for a whole day, or even two days. You will see this mentioned somewhere.
- By default a ticket is for a route, not a train. Your ticket may have "train binding" which you agreed to in exchange for a discount, but if you cannot comply with the train binding because the train you arer bound to is no longer running then the ticket defaults back to being good for any train on a route.

Many tourists unfamiliar with train travel in this part of Europe get in an unneeded panic when a train schedule changes because they do not understand this. But trains are mass transit. If you are in NY and one subway line is suddenly closed you just take another. When a train is cancelled you take another train. And the email you got from OBB probably told you that, but you may have had trouble believing this at face value.

But it may be posisble that the schedule change is not that great. The Railways have this standard email the send everyone when the schedule changes, and if you are not familiar with that it may be confusing. Tell us which train you originally booked, and we will help you.

@Mr. É - you create an unnecessary panic.

No reason to worry. The construction works, affecting the high-speed tracks, are near Vienna, between May 12 and June 5, so long-distance trains will be rerouted along a slower track, meaning that you will arrive about half an hour later than originally scheduled. Only local trains are subject to some cancellations.

If you look for your connection on https://www.oebb.at/en/ you should see the updated schedule of your train.

Thanks everyone, I was able to reserve a seat on another train, still direct and only one hour later than I originally planned to depart.

It looks like a lot is going on so I hope that doesn't get canceled too . . . I'm also wondering if this is going to end up getting majorly delayed!

Glad it worked out. Just keep an eye on it. When these sorts of things happen they are casual inconveniences to the local that knows the ropes but can be a bit of a mess for the rest of us. But perseverance always pays off and eventually things always work out. Do enjoy your trip.

I was able to reserve a seat on another train

Make sure to request a refund for the reservation you are no longer using.

Seat reservations are refunded if the train you reserved a seat on is cancelled. The railway cannot decide to not provide the service you bought, and simultaneously keep the money.

And you should never, ever accept to pay extra because of something the railway did.

Which is why if a train is cancelled you can also go to a train station and have your reservation moved free of charge.