End of danger? Train service between Budapest and Vienna restarted!
Train services between the Hungarian and Austrian capitals restarted this morning. However, even the Austrian railway company, ÖBB, does not recommend choosing the railway because of the uncertainties caused by the historic flood hitting Hungary and Austria.
Budapest-Vienna train services resumed
According to turizmus.com, the train connection between Budapest and Vienna has been reestablished. The first trains departed Budapest this morning. However, passengers cannot yet continue their journey to Linz from the Austrian capital.
Because of the turns, some trains will only commute to Hegyeshalom until the afternoon. You may continue your journey from the Hungarian border town with EuRegio trains or the next distance train.
The first train carrying passengers from Budapest to Vienna was the 7:40 AM Railjet Express. However, people travelling with the 6:40 AM train can also reach Vienna provided they change trains in Hegyeshalom.
Based on current information, destinations beyond Vienna, e.g. Salzburg, are not yet available due to the flood. In Austria, you should still expect cancellations and considerable delays, so even the Austrian railway service provider ÖBB does not recommend travelling by train these days.
The company halted train service between Vienna and Hegyeshalom due to the heavy rains on Sunday evening.
In Hungary, the weather is fine, but the flood is already in the Western regions and approaching Budapest, where the lower Danube embankments are already under water.
Based on the experts’ estimates, the peaking of the Danube will be 40 centimetres below the 2013 record in Budapest. Gabriella Siklós, a spokesperson of the General Directorate of Water Management, told Kossuth Rádió that the peaking will be at 850 centimetres in the Hungarian capital. She added that the flood lacks water support because of the dry weather. However, the melting snow in Austria may slow the pace of water level decrease. People wanting to help protection efforts should write to local governments organising the work.
She said that, in Budapest, the water level reached 683 centimetres this morning. In the Szigetköz region of Northwestern Hungary, the peaking of the Danube will be on Thursday. In Budapest, the peaking will be on Saturday. In 2013, the peak level was 891 centimetres. Now, the Danube will probably stop at 850 cm.
Click HERE to read the latest news about the flood in Hungary.
Read also:
- Floods disrupt Hungarian transport: All the latest bus and train timetable changes you need to know in THIS article
- The hardest phase of flood protection underway, says Orbán