Jamie Fehr

This story starts the morning of October 10th, it was our first morning in Vienna, and experience had taught us that luck favors the well prepared. So we decided that wanted to get the train tickets for the next leg of our journey as soon as possible. So that very morning we went to buy tickets. The Westbahnhof train station was right beside our hostel and on our way to the sightseeing. So there we were, explaining to the ticket salesman how we wanted five seats on the October 12th, 2006, 6:30 am direct train to Venice. Our message got through and no small amount of euros later (At least for me, I didn’t buy a Eurail pass) we had tickets in hand and we were off.

Now, the actual sight seeing in Vienna is a different and somewhat interesting story, but this rest of this particular story continues very early on a thursday morning just after checking out of our hostel. We travelled on foot from the hostel to the train station as it was only a three minute walk and arrived a full half hour before our train was supposed to leave. Upon arrival at the train station I noticed that our departure wasn’t on the departure board, but it didn’t seem to be that import of a detail as in normally that early in the morning hunger was was the only thing guiding our group. We headed on over to the stations bakery and proceeded to buy some food and then headed over to the platforms. It really didn’t take long to realize that our train was nowhere to be found.

Next logical step, ask at the information booth.

There was a very kind lady at the information desk and I handed her my ticket and asked her where I could find that train. She looked at it for a little while and said two words, “Wein Sud.” My face dropped, here we were not more than 25 minutes from departure and on the wrong end of the city. The information lady immediately recognized our plight and offered me some advicein english, “Tram 18, ten Stops.” I relayed this information to my travel companions and we were off to catch a train.

Mayhem

The rest of what happens is no one’s fault and the only way the rest of this could have been avoided is if someone would have actually closely inspected our tickets the night before we were to leave. The proper train station had been clearly marked on the ticket but that didn’t happen, we assumed that we would leave from the same station as where we bought tickets and so instead, it was panic in Vienna.

We had been given some advice, but for some reason someone (I’m sure it wasn’t me) thought it might be quicker to ignore that advice and take the underground system to the other train station. It is a fact that the trams are a lot slower than metro and with the mob mentality setting in faster transport automatically meant better, regardless of destination. So we took off to the nearest platform that we thought might take take us to where we need to go.

Every underground train line travels two directions, one towards where you want to go and one away from where you want to go. With only 20 minutes to go we got the platform and got on the first train we saw. The 50-50-90 rule was in full effect and it was the wrong train. Two minutes later we got off, in worse shape than before.

We were feeling very exasperated but hopes were still high. At this platform we met another kind german lady who spoke some english and she asked us if she could help. We said yes and told her we wanted to get the Wiensud train station and she offered the same advice, get out of the underground and take tram 18, and for some reason this time it seemed to make sense. So the race to the tram ensued.

We got on the tram, verified with the driver that it was going to the train station he said yes and began driving. He drove less than 100m and got out for a smoke break. Great, seventeen minutes to cross town and our driver is out having a smoke. So even though we were in a hurry, there didn’t seem to be anything more logical to do than wait and that is exactly what we did.

The tram is really slow and it stops with frequency and with every passing moment our doubt in being able to catch our train more printed itself more clearly on everyone’s face. Our only hope and prayer was that our train to Venice would depart late.

A full twenty minutes later, or fifteen minutes after our train departed we arrived at WienSud.

Missing the train wasn’t the worst part, now we had to formulate a backup plan and buy more train tickets. It was 6:54 am and we were at the Wein Sud train station, the next train on the same line didn’t leave until 3:30 in the afternoon, and there were two problems with that, our check in time in Venice was 2:30 p.m. and we really didn’t want to wait around in Vienna for six and a half hours. Our other option was to try and build our own trip with a connection somewhere.

After checking the map and train schedule we came up with two options. One, transfer through Slovenia or two, transfer through Innsbruck. As it turns the train through Slovenia got us to Venice at the same time as waiting for the next direct train 10:30 p.m., but there was hope, we had thirty minutes to cross the city again to catch the 7:30 am train from Vienna Westbahnhof to Innsbruck and then go from Innsbruck to Venice, which would get us to Venice by 6:30 pm, which while was still late for our check in time was a lot more reasonable.

It was early, we had already missed a train, and now we had to make the reverse journey with similar time constraints and only our newfound experience in the tram system to aid us in catching the next best train. So before we had even left WeinSud for the tram stop all hope in plan b had already died. There were just too many variables, we had to rely on slow public transport to get us across the city quickly, and we had to catch two(2), by reservation only trains, and we hadn’t pre-ordered tickets (We hadn’t had great luck so far in acquiring tickets the day of the journey on reservation only trains) but it was a plan and it was the only one we had so we grudgingly followed through.

We got off near the Westbahnhof station with only four minutes to run the last 300m to the station, purchase tickets for both legs of our journey and catch the train at it’s platform. So if there were no lines at the ticket booths and if we could cross two busy intersections to get to the train station we might be able to make this train. It was coming up on every man for himself time, or at least someone get in the ticket line quick so he can buy tickets for all of us.

I was the winner of said race and after running up to nearest line-less ticket window I pantingly and hurriedly explained to the attendant what we needed. He nodded confirmation and proceeded to calmly process my request. I was in no mood for calm but, I held my tongue and with one minute and ten seconds until departure I had tickets in hand.

Where’s Rod? Was the question that plagued our group that was five only minutes ago and was now four. No one knew. Seconds after noticing his absence, his person spilled through the morning sun filled doorway. No inquiry was made as to what took him so long to catch we just ran to the platform to jump on a train that was pulling away from the station. And soon, to everyones disbelief we were on a train to Venice and every one lived happily ever after, maybe.

The Moral

This story has a purpose, or moral if you will. Specifically, the moral of this is that buying train tickets at Vienna Westbahnhof, does not necessarily mean that your train departs from Vienna Westbahnhof. Or maybe a better moral that you should really should check which is your departure station well before going to a departure station. It was a hard learned and expensive lesson, but if helps you to not make the same mistake it was all worth it.