Toilet chaos on the south route: passengers in need!

Toilet chaos on the south route: passengers in need!

The situation on the south route of the ÖBB between Vienna and Klagenfurt is becoming increasingly critical, since all toilets recently failed on one train, which resulted in massive inconvenience for travelers. On November 17, 2024, a reader of 5 minutes reported that during his trip from Villach to Vienna, the toilet facilities were not usable due to a technical defect. According to the information from the train attendant, all four toilets on the train were defective, which made numerous waiting stops necessary so that passengers could use station toilets. These circumstances led to a delay of over 30 minutes on arrival in Vienna.

slow reactions of the ÖBB

The ÖBB confirmed that technical failures and vandalism can always lead to problems with the toilet facilities on their trains. Press spokesman Herbert Hofer said that the company serves around 280 million passengers every year and 1,200 toilets are checked every week. Despite these measures, unfortunately, defects often occur. The Upper Austrian Federal Railways have recently deducted some of the modern railjets from the south route and replaced by older, more susceptible features, which only tightens the current misery. "Due to the changed timetables and the high demand for vehicles, we had to exchange some railjets for cityjets and intercity cars," said Hofer, pointing out the uncertainties due to weather-related changes that complicated the entire situation. 5 minutes reported on this incident and the dissatisfied voice of a traveler.

The ÖBB apologizes for the inconvenience and emphasize that all affected cars have already been sent for maintenance. The number of toilets that are not available has also reached almost eight percent of a stand above the desired value. Travelers have to adjust to longer stays at train stations if the toilet facilities in the trains continue to fail, which according to ORF is an unsustainable condition. The hope of the ÖBB to restore the use of more modern sets in the new year is skeptically viewed by the passengers, which expect a rapid solution to the toilet problem.