Intercity bus

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ÖBB-Intercitybus in front of Graz Central Station

The Intercitybus ( abbreviated as ICB in timetables ) is a travel category of the Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB). The line service was first introduced on October 1, 2007 on the route between Graz and Klagenfurt, and with the timetable change in December 2008, another connection was added between Klagenfurt and Venice. Although these are bus routes, they are listed in the Austrian Railway Course Book , and the ÖBB railway tariff applies to them.

Lines

Graz - Klagenfurt

The first ÖBB intercity bus line runs between Graz Hauptbahnhof and Klagenfurt Hauptbahnhof seven times a day every two hours and makes a stop at Wolfsberg station.

It was introduced because there is no direct rail link between the provincial capitals of Styria and Carinthia ; this will only be given with the completion of the Koralm Railway in 2025. So far, rail passengers have had to make a long detour and change trains in Bruck an der Mur . The shortest possible travel time for the 228 km is 2:48 hours.

The Intercitybus needs  exactly two hours for the 141 km long route on the Süd Autobahn (A2). The bus timetables are coordinated with the arrival and departure times of the trains. In order to make the transfer routes as short as possible, the buses stop in the immediate vicinity of the station concourse. A dedicated control system supports the way to the departure point.

Klagenfurt - Villach - Udine - Venice

With the suspension of two pairs of trains in 2008 and 2009, the Italian State Railways initially withdrew from international long-distance traffic via Tarvisio on the Pontebbana railway line. Long-distance traffic over this route is of great importance for the Austrian Southern Railway. In contrast to the night train connection on this and another route to Italy, the ÖBB decided against operating the train connection with their own funds. Instead, the Intercitybus line, which had two daily connections, was strengthened by two more connections all year round on December 13, 2009, and one more will be added during the summer months, making it a total of 5. Since the timetable change in December 2013, a pair of trains from Vienna-Meidling to Venice, since 2014 the train has been running from the newly opened Vienna Central Station to Venice. The night train from Vienna via Salzburg to Venice continues to run.

With the timetable change in December 2017, another pair of trains will run from Vienna to Venice. The intercity bus line has been shortened to 1 connection from Klagenfurt and 1 connection from Villach. In April there is an additional connection from Villach.

The buses run from Klagenfurt via Villach, where a direct change from the Intercity trains of the Südbahn is to be achieved, from there the route runs via Udine to the end stop of the People Mover on the island of Tronchetto in Venice and back.

Furnishing

For the operation of the IC bus line, three comfort double-decker buses of the type “ SETRA S 431 DT” were procured, which cover around 711,000 km annually. The 13.89 m long buses are equipped with low-emission V 8 engines in accordance with the EURO IV standard and were state-of-the-art when they were introduced. The engine output is 370  kW .

The fully air-conditioned buses have a low-floor entrance , are barrier-free and have a built-in toilet . There are 16 seats in 1st class and 56 seats in 2nd class. There are also two spaces for people with reduced mobility and a wheelchair space . The rear door has been widened and has two leaves, as a further deviation from the standard version there is an LED target display on the front. Since the beginning of 2015 there has been free WiFi in the buses, but this is not available for every trip. The 1st class seats are equipped with leather seats and have a socket and a work surface. The service for 1st class passengers includes two free drinks (hot and cold) in addition to the usual newspapers.

To illustrate its special position, the intercity bus deviates completely from the corporate identity of the other buses of ÖBB-Postbus GmbH in its external and internal design . The colors correspond to those of the wagons of the ÖBB long-distance trains.

Tariff

The rail tariffs of ÖBB-Personenverkehrs AG apply to the Intercitybus. Since the seats are limited, there will be a shortage of seats on busy days of travel, which is why a reservation (€ 3) is possible. In 1st class this is already included in the fare. Bookings can be made at any ÖBB counter in Austria, in any travel agency at the train station, online, via the hotline or at ticket machines (but without reservation). The Klagenfurt - Venice line requires reservations; here the seat reservation is already included in the global price.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Press release of the ÖBB on the creation: ÖBB: New offer with train and ÖBB intercity bus to Venice
  2. ↑ New direct rail connections between Venice and Vienna written on November 14, 2013, accessed on January 11, 2016
  3. ↑ Intercitybus folder
  4. ^ ÖBB-Personenverkehrs AG: Online ticket
  5. ↑ ÖBB Intercitybus timetable and prices