Skipping first of two trains on restricted ticket?
Jul 24, 2019, 3:35 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Canada
Programs: AC E50k, A3*G, UA*S, MR Titanium, HHonors Gold, Carlson Gold, NEXUS
Posts: 3,669
Skipping first of two trains on restricted ticket?
I have a ticket from Ljubljana to Vienna via Villach booked as an ÖBB Sparschiene. I'm starting to think about leaving Ljubljana a day early and spending the night before in Villach or Lake Bled. Would I be allowed to board the first train (an EC) at a later stop? What about skipping the first train entirely and only boarding the RJ to Vienna at Villach?
Jul 24, 2019, 9:11 am
#2
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: Karlsruhe, Germany
Posts: 123
I'm not sure what the real rules are, but given that ticket checks are not done when entering a train, but by the conductor walking through the train, in reality nobody can know if you really skipped the train or not. It might just have been, that the conductor didn't reach your seat to check the ticket.
At least in Germany with Deutsche Bahn there isn't even a rule, that you have to use the ticket as booked, and i would assume that ÖBB has similar rules as DB.
At least in Germany with Deutsche Bahn there isn't even a rule, that you have to use the ticket as booked, and i would assume that ÖBB has similar rules as DB.
Jul 31, 2019, 4:24 pm
#4
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: UK. BAEC AAdvantage
Programs: Mucci Des Oeufs Brouilles et des Canards
Posts: 3,671
What sort of physical ticket do you have? Is it separate ones for each leg? I had a 7 (individual) day pass in Switzerland and it was on one ticket. The conductor would punch a hole through the card and we'd have to write the travel date in by hand before boarding the train. There were seat reservations which were all individual cards. If your case is similar then they would probably only be looking that your ticket is valid for that train. If they do ask anything, just say you missed the train and had to make your own way to this connection!
Aug 5, 2019, 12:36 am
#5
Join Date: Jun 2017
Posts: 276
There is actually no way a railway can prove that you did not take a particular train (unless you actually admit this yourself). So if if there was requirement you do all segments in order (like with air travel) it is not enforceable.
In practice no one will care. Trains operate on a "Proof of Payment" principle. All the conductor cares about when he checks your ticket is that you have paid, and are entitled to be on that train.
Before SBB started selling supersaver tickets people actually often bought tickets from points in Germany to take advantage of DB's Sparpreis. Eg. buying Freiburg - Lugano, and then using this to only travel Basel to Lugano.
In practice no one will care. Trains operate on a "Proof of Payment" principle. All the conductor cares about when he checks your ticket is that you have paid, and are entitled to be on that train.
Before SBB started selling supersaver tickets people actually often bought tickets from points in Germany to take advantage of DB's Sparpreis. Eg. buying Freiburg - Lugano, and then using this to only travel Basel to Lugano.