‘Train’ ICB 967
Operator: OBB
Class: 2nd (bus)
Departure: Graz HB (Busbahnhof) 13:45 (on time)
Arrival: Klagenfurt 15:45 (scheduled) 15:36 (actual)
Journey time: 1h51


So, in retrospect, this was clearly going to be a bus. The origin and destination were decorated with busbahnhof. There’s that subtle B in the train designator. But: it appears in the train timetables. I was able to add it to my railpass itinerary. And it says ‘train’ right there:





Sadly the penny only dropped when I was staring at the departure board at Graz Hauptbahnhof and could find no trace of it. I then followed signs to the bus depot, but this was just for rail replacement services. Service 967 is not a replacement bus. It’s always a bus. That's just how OBB operates some of its services in this part of the country.






I had hoped not to use buses for any intercity travel, but now here I was facing two hours on one. Worse, it had a first class section, and I was presumably entitled to it with my pass… but having not reserved in advance, I got sent upstairs to standard class.





Fortunately I had two seats to myself for the whole run (there was only one other stop, an hour in), otherwise it would have been very cramped. But the air conditioning didn’t work, there were no power sockets, and the views were harder to appreciate with an autobahn in the way (and looking sideways out of a bus is somehow so much more nauseating than a train).


Worst of all, another racer had attempted the same route - Graz to Venice - earlier today, only to be swapped onto a three hour rail replacement bus 20 minutes down the line in Villach. He had heard the same might apply to my planned itinerary, so I spent much of this uncomfortable bus ride worrying that it was just a warm-up for another, lengthier one.

At least we arrived well ahead of schedule.