Austrian Railways (ÖBB) is increasing its train services for the busy Christmas and New Year period, with 80 extra trains and 42,000 additional seats available from 20 December to 6 January.

Extra services will be running on both the West and South railway lines, with more trains to and from Salzburg, Feldkirch and Villach already scheduled for Friday. On Saturday, additional connections will be provided to Bischofshofen, Wörgl and Lienz.

International services will also be boosted, with trains between Vienna and Zurich and vice versa running with double carriages at the end of December and the beginning of January.

West Route Through Tullnerfeld Reopened

For those travelling west, the journey time has been shortened following the reopening of the Tullnerfeld route, which had been damaged in September’s floods. The line is now fully operational again, with ÖBB estimating repair costs at around €100 million. A final breakdown of the costs will be available once all repairs are completed in summer 2025.

However, temporary measures are still in place as some replacement parts are yet to arrive. As a result, the West route will be closed for four weeks in 2025. During that time, long-distance trains will be diverted via the old route through the Wienerwald, which will add about 30 minutes to journey times.

Reservations Recommended

As the days around Christmas and New Year are among the busiest for travel, ÖBB is advising passengers to make seat reservations. These can be cancelled up to 24 hours before departure for a refund.