Through Europe with RailOn

Gregor Wechner: We offer by rail what has long been possible with air package tours. With railOn, you can get train tickets across Europe from a single provider, in a package with accommodation and tickets for the attractions you want to see locally. Basically, each rail company sets its own limits (partly influenced by sales policy) when it comes to booking tickets. We solve this by keeping an eye on all available connections as an independent provider.

However, once there is a desire to travel, transportation is not the only thing you need. Therefore, we offer time savings for customers by offering good accommodation and activities in a package with transportation.

We also make things easier for group travelers, for example by taking the workload off the initiators by creating lists and allowing the individual participants to communicate directly with us.

Gregor Wechner: We currently serve both groups and individual travelers (under 6 people). Groups range from clubs going on a city trip, to schools organizing educational trips, to companies planning a company outing. In this set-up, our contact persons are group leaders or individual participants.

For individual travelers, we mainly serve private individuals who want to travel Europe. Since my passion for rail travel arose from this, I love organizing rail trips with several stops across Europe.

Gregor Wechner: Let's start on a positive note: We are in a very advantageous position in Austria in that investments are being made in new trainsets and routes and we enjoy a very high standard. It is therefore also easier for railOn to persuade people to pack the train into state-of-the-art Nightjets, for example.

Until the 2010s, however, there were still direct night trains to Rome, for example, and the rail network with direct connections within Europe was much more developed in previous years. However, there was no longer any investment in the quality of the trains and connections and they made way for low-cost airlines. The trend in recent years has been for direct trains to be replaced by frequent transfer connections. However, direct trains eliminate the risk and stress of having to catch a connection and, for example, you can sit back and relax if you are an hour late or treat yourself to a drink in the on-board restaurant.

But more comfort during the journey alone is not enough: you also need to have the mindset to support slow travel and sustainable travel. If there is a flight that also goes directly to a destination and advertises the train, the price is often a knock-out argument for people who like to fly or travel by car. In very many cases, however, it is now the case that the train is even cheaper than the flight if you book early enough, and traffic jams (aka Feragosto in Italy) play into our hands. However, some people do not yet take these arguments into account when planning their trip.

To summarize: We are currently experiencing an openness to rail travel, but this has a limitation: as soon as a change is involved, the risk of being able to persuade someone to travel by train decreases.

Gregor Wechner: We and many other rail travel providers are also calling for end-to-end passenger rights. There are already passenger rights for delays to individual connections (from 1 hour delay!). In the case of several consecutive connections with changes, there is also an agreement, the so-called AJC, which the major rail providers have signed. This guarantees a free onward journey (also across all providers!), but is not widely known. In reality, it is often the case that tickets are no longer recognized or even surcharges are charged. Inspectors, train staff and passengers alike need to be more aware of the existence of such regulations. In addition, if you miss the last connecting train in Zurich, for example, there is no right to be provided with an overnight stay in a hotel. There is also room for improvement here.

Comparison: Everyone is now familiar with the Air Passenger Rights Ordinance and the associated rights that can be asserted against airlines in the event of cancellations/delays. However, passenger rights for rail travel are less well known.

We know certain punctuality statistics from experience and book connections with few changes and risks as well as sufficient transfer time. Should delays nevertheless occur, we check that alternative connections are available. As a tour operator, we have this responsibility, especially if you are standing on the platform with a group of 15 people, for example.

Do you have a travel wish that you would like to fulfill by train? You can get in touchwith railOn on various channels!