Learning with the WESTbahn, Lesson One: Beware of the wirleass LAN

In the introduction of my first post I mentioned that I don’t only take OeBB trains but also WESTbahn trains. I get lots of questions about the differences and which one I would recommend. The majority of Austrians seems to think that the WESTbahn is cheaper, more comfortable, always on time and in possession of friendlier staff. Well, I have been able to make my mind up since the beginning of January and I can tell you a few things about the WESTbahn trains themselves, its staff and punctuality; both positive and negative.

Learning with the OeBB. Lesson One: Beware of the ‘digital oldies’.

Have you ever been sitting in the train and been annoyed because somebody was either listening to music or talking on the phone way too loud? I have – more than once. Since I commute from Upper Austria to Salzburg five days a week, I spend lots of time on public transportation. All in all, I am on the road three hours a day (20 min. on bike, 50 min. on the train, 20. min on the bus to university and the same amount of time back), which makes 15 hours a week. At first it was annoying, but any lingering boredom was dispelled when I found out that the Austrian railway travel providers OeBB and Westbahn aren’t just there for getting people from one place to another. No. The OeBB or Westbahn and the people on the train actually teach you about life, the universe and everything. Allow me to explain: