An 80-year-old man, his wife and grandchildren were looking forward to a relaxing train journey home. But the return journey from Venice was a test of nerves: because the first train was late, the family narrowly missed the connection. The quartet had to spend the night at train stations.
“It was really annoying! Being out all night with two kids is tough,” complains Wolfgang Neugebauer.
First train delayed
What happened? The 80-year-old from Vienna wanted to show Venice to his grandchildren from Vöcklabruck (9 and 12 years old) together with his wife. After a few beautiful days in the lagoon city, the misery started at the train station in Mestre near Venice: “The ÖBB train to Innsbruck was an hour late and could only catch up there,” said the former self-employed person.
Arrival at 4am instead of 11.35pm
So it happened as it was meant to happen: the connecting train to Salzburg left two minutes before the family arrived. “If this train had waited just a little bit, we would have been spared a lot of trouble!” Neugebauer is furious. Because: “So we waited at Innsbruck Central Station and only arrived in Salzburg around midnight. We had to wait there for three and a half hours before the first train took us to Vöcklabruck around four in the morning,” says the determined 80-year-old. “Such waiting times and a four and a half hour delay are not fun for the children!”
Saving money paid for with nerves
The trip was cheap after all, thanks to savings track and child-free travel, especially since the passengers were credited half the cost as an apology. “The train journey was cheaper, but we probably would have saved some nerves by taking the car,” says Neugebauer.
“Waiting together” is almost impossible
But ÖBB spokesman Robert Mosser explains that ‘waiting together’ is not that simple: ‘Whether a train can wait unplanned for a delayed feeder depends on various guidelines and factors.’ Especially because of the impact on punctuality in the overall timetable: ‘It must always be ensured that no train sequence is jeopardized, so that punctuality is maintained on all connections,’ says Mosser. If a train were to arrive too late due to waiting, many other passengers on the entire rail network would also suffer delays.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
