Every Second Person Misses the Train: Criticism of the Railway's Timetable Flop

Austrian train passengers are annoyed when they miss their connecting service. They wish for a significant improvement in the coordination between train and bus. This is a key result of this year's VCÖ rail test, in which 9,360 passengers were surveyed on trains from ten railway companies from April to June. Every second person misses their public transport connection several times a year.

Passengers criticize deterioration in punctuality and connections

29 percent of passengers stated that punctuality has worsened, 21 percent experienced a deterioration in the number of connections. "The total travel time has a major influence on whether people travel by train or car. There is still much to improve in Austria regarding connecting services. On one hand, in timetable planning, and on the other hand, in the event of train delays," emphasized VCÖ expert Michael Schwendinger on Thursday in a press release. 24 percent of passengers stated that they miss connections several times a year, and another 22 percent even more often. Passengers from Lower Austria most frequently missed connecting services, while passengers from Carinthia missed them the least. The VCÖ focused on this topic in its survey this year.

During the current train journey, 25 percent of passengers were dissatisfied with the public connecting services, and among those who had already transferred to the current train, 18 percent were dissatisfied. In the coordination between train and bus, two-thirds of passengers experienced improvements in the past twelve months, but one-third experienced deteriorations. 37 percent of passengers are dissatisfied with the public connection of train stations outside peak hours. 39 percent of passengers want more flexible offers at train stations, such as call buses and on-call shared taxis.

For good connecting services, the number of train connections in local and regional transport is also relevant. Nationwide, every fifth passenger wants more frequent connections, and in Upper Austria, even every fourth.

Austrians also like to travel by train on vacation

Overall, more train travel is happening in Austria, including for vacations. Every third passenger has traveled on vacation with a day train in the past twelve months, and every eighth passenger with a night train. Those who have a climate ticket travel by train on vacation somewhat more frequently, according to another result of the VCÖ rail test. 90 percent of passengers were satisfied with the train journey. Satisfaction increases with age, with the highest satisfaction among passengers aged 55 and over. The desire for more train connections in Europe is great: 42 percent of passengers want more direct connections to Europe's metropolises.

The passengers were also asked if they had taken a flight in the past twelve months with a distance of less than 800 kilometers. 72 percent said no, 28 percent yes. The two most important measures to shift short flights to the train, according to the passengers, are more attractive ticket prices and more direct connections between major EU cities.

Trains are becoming more popular – even on vacation

Last year, a record 15 billion passenger kilometers were traveled by train in Austria. According to Schienencontrol, Austria's railways counted around 349 million passengers. An additional increase is expected this year.

29 percent of passengers traveled more frequently by train in the past twelve months than before, while eight percent traveled less frequently. "Austria's train passengers make an important contribution to the community, such as avoiding traffic jams on the roads and achieving climate goals. It is all the more important that transport policy takes the feedback from passengers seriously and that necessary improvements are implemented quickly," stated VCÖ expert Michael Schwendinger.

Train travel as active travel time

A benefit of train travel is the usable travel time. In the VCÖ train test, passengers were also asked how they use the time. 84 percent read, listen, or watch videos during the train ride, 67 percent of passengers use the time for work or study, 60 percent relax or sleep, and 46 percent talk to each other or play with their children.

(APA/Red)

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