Passengers travelling between Bratislava and Vienna will face temporary changes for five days in September, with some trains replaced by buses and departures from Bratislava leaving much earlier than usual.
From September 14 to September 18, construction work on railway infrastructure in Austria will interrupt services between Bratislava-Petrzalka, Kittsee and Parndorf each day from approximately 7:50 to 12:30.
Slovak rail operator ZSSK recommends that passengers travelling directly between the two capitals use trains via Marchegg, which will continue to run hourly and are not affected by the closure.
The disruption affects REX trains between Bratislava-Petrzalka and Vienna Hauptbahnhof in both directions.
Towards Vienna, REX 7720, 7724, 7728 and 7732 will be replaced by buses between Bratislava-Petrzalka and Parndorf. Passengers will change at Parndorf to a train for Vienna.
The replacement buses from Bratislava-Petrzalka will leave 41 minutes earlier than the trains they replace, with connections to the respective Vienna-bound trains planned at Parndorf.
“Passengers should therefore pay particular attention to the departure time and arrive at Bratislava-Petrzalka station sufficiently early,” ZSSK spokesperson Jan Bacek said.
Travelling in the opposite direction, the disruption affects REX 7713, 7717, 7721, 7725 and 7729. Passengers from Vienna will leave the train at Parndorf and continue to Bratislava-Petrzalka by replacement bus.
The buses will serve all stops in Austria according to a special timetable, although the stops in Gattendorf and Neudorf are not directly beside the railway stops, ZSSK warned.
Bicycles cannot be carried on the replacement buses.
Passengers should also allow extra time when making connections. The replacement bus in Bratislava-Petrzalka will not wait for connecting services, nor will trains at Parndorf and Parndorf Ort.
Step-free access may not be available when changing trains at Parndorf, as platforms 2 and 3 can only be reached by stairs. (The Slovak Spectator)