RailJet

[Masbroughlad]

I am booked to go on the RailJet (standard class) between Vienna and Munich in December.

Really looking forward to it!

What can we expect? What are the on board facilities? Is it a high speed train (as the name reflects). Any tips?

Thanks

 

[burns20]

The Bistros are being converted to Restaurants atm. Think Great Western HST seats but with leg room. Not High Speed as such...only 160kph I think. Have done Budapest to Salzburg on one.

 

[sprinterguy]

I believe that the Railjets have travelled at up to 200kph (125mph) where possible since their introduction. Line upgrades are presently underway, and may be nearing completion, to allow the Railjet trains to operate at their design speed of 230kph (143mph) over certain sections of the route.

The Railjet trains are formed of a Siemens Taurus electric loco and a rake of seven Siemens Viaggio Comfort carriages working in push-pull format.

 

[Tom C]

I have travelled from Vienna to Budapest on Railjet and its a joy to use. The service in 1st class was very good, the seats were very comfortable and the journey of 3 hours just seemed to fly by.

Will be using them again in November from Vienna to Budapest and again from Budapest to Munich.

Enjoy!

 

[gordonthemoron]

I thought that the Railjets go pretty fast between Vienna & Salzburg, but rather slow between Salzburg & Munich (I only went on it once). The 2nd class coaches only have lino flooring, the seat backs are too upright/high and they don't recline. No idea about 2nd class. They look good though, epecially from the outside, and appear to have been built like the proverbial brick ****house

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

I thought that the Railjets go pretty fast between Vienna & Salzburg, but rather slow between Salzburg & Munich (I only went on it once). The 2nd class coaches only have lino flooring, the seat backs are too upright/high and they don't recline. No idea about 2nd class. They look good though, epecially from the outside, and appear to have been built like the proverbial brick ****house

The middle section St Poelten-Linz-Wels is the fast bit.
160kph (or less round the many bends) from Wels via Salzburg to Munich.

The new lines around Vienna are supposed to open in December.
Until then it's also 160kph on the winding old line as far as St Poelten.

I did 1st class in July and was not that impressed.
They are nice trains, but the styling is naff.
Some of the window glass is obscured by the slanting outsize "Railjet" logo on the outside.
Much the same OBB stock, in more traditional styling, also runs Vienna-Prague-Berlin and I found that to be nicer.

 

[scandal]

Expect good things is all I can say, there is LCD tvs throughout the carriage giving information such as speed, destination, next station and the like plus rather nice air conditioning, seats are pretty good in standard too! If only IEP could be a similar spec?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/iks_berto/6844636816/

 

[MCR247]

seats are pretty good in standard too!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/iks_berto/6844636816/

They are also used in the UK but don't get quite the same reception!

 

[ainsworth74]

They are also used in the UK but don't get quite the same reception!

That's because they replaced the 'mighty' IC70s...

 

[317666]

I really like the look of the Railjet, will have to give it a spin at some point. That picture above, I love how the screen says what chance you have of making your connection "Reachable" or "At Risk".

 

[starrymarkb]

The Bistros are being converted to Restaurants atm. Think Great Western HST seats but with leg room. Not High Speed as such...only 160kph I think. Have done Budapest to Salzburg on one.

The FGW sets have very good legroom - far more then the XC HST or Voyagers and I believe more then the IC70!

 

[gordonthemoron]

Railjet 2nd class seats have plenty of legroom, it's the seats themselves that are uncomfortable

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Railjet 2nd class seats have plenty of legroom, it's the seats themselves that are uncomfortable

A post on another thread reminded me of another unfortunate property of the Railjet stock (at least in the 1st class carriage I was in) - the smell of vapourised brake linings.
Just like our HSTs.

 

[Squaddie]

I recently took a Railjet between Zurich and Innsbruck, and found it a very disappointing experience. The interiors are really not nice at all, and comparisons with FGW and Voyagers are quite appropriate. I was travelling in first class but I did walk through the economy class carriages and thought they were dreadful - a high-density mixture of airline-style seats and seats around tables, and not all seats aligned with the windows. Seating plans are available here, and photographs of the interior here.

The last time I travelled that route, about 5 years ago, was on a Swiss train with panorama car which was superior in every way.

 

[Charlie2555]

I went on a Railjet between Innsbruck and Zurich and I really liked it! Pulled by a nice loco, you get good speed and nice comfortable seats. I had reserved a seat but I was practically the only one in the carriage! You also get a couple of screens in the coach which I like which show things like your location and speed etc. I really enjoyed my experience!

 

[Masbroughlad]

Just got off it. Excellent train all round. Would be happy to see these in the UK. CrossCountry, FGW, Scotrail......

 

[ainsworth74]

Just got off it. Excellent train all round. Would be happy to see these in the UK. CrossCountry, FGW, Scotrail......

One major problem with that. They wouldn't fit on our network...

 

[317666]

One major problem with that. They wouldn't fit on our network...

You'd think that if Siemens can build a version of the Desiro that fits our loading gauge, they would be able to build some Viaggio Comfort coaches to fit our loading gauge too? Although it'll never happen sadly, I know.

 

[burns20]

On a related note I used to be able to get €19 sparscheine tickets for RailJet frm Vienna to Budapest this seems no more as a jny I wish to do at the end of April is now €39. An odd offer being only €15.80 to travel via Bratislava instead on REX and EC.