If you have a need to move your body (along with the mind and the soul, of course) from Vienna to Budapest, the Railjet is at your service. The trip is far from being long, and there are a fair number of direct trains departing every day. Here come some details about experiencing one of the morning rides.
At the start
Hello, dear friends of railways and fellow train enthusiasts! I am reporting from the platform number nine of Wien Hauptbahnhof, also known as Vienna Main Station. From this very place, in just a few minutes, a train of the RJX Railjet Express high-speed service will start its journey to the capital of Hungary.
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The boarding process is in full swing, the train in dark red and blue colors is ready to roll, and the passengers are taking their seats. The vehicle is able to reach the speed of 230 km/h, so this is going to be fast and quick middle-distance ride!
Before the joy of train-traveling starts, I’d like to say a couple of words about the route of the upcoming trip. The distance that we are about to cover in the next 2 hours and 32 minutes is about 250 kilometers. The direction is southeast. The wind is… well, who cares about the wind — the Railjet train is equally swift in any conditions!
There will be five intermediate stops. Let me introduce the names of the stations: Hegyeshalom, Mosonmagyaróvár, Györ, Tatabánya, and Budapest Kelenföld. As you can see, all the toponyms in the list are Hungarian. But let’s get inside the train, because the fun begins right now!
First half
I am in the car which hosts the Quiet Zone of the First Class and also all the seats of the Business Class. The latter offers three different options: compartments for four persons, triple sections and single chairs. One of the separate places is mine — and it is the best choice if you travel without a company.
Everybody is on board, and the train is already moving. There is an information display right in front of me. It shows a lot of useful facts in three languages: a number of minutes till the next stop, the names of the stations listed in a proper order, the speed of the vehicle, the current time, and so on.
The ticket control is going on. I am having two QR-codes scanned and verified: one is for the ticket itself and the second — for the seat reservation. This is happening quickly and simply, as well as the connection to free Wi-Fi: it just works — without logging in, password-entering or any other additional efforts.
Although everything seems to be well-managed here, I do not overlook one thing that you, careful readers, have already noticed anyway. Yes, my place is missing the lamp. What can I say? Vandalism happens. But let’s hope that whoever broke the thing can’t sleep well at night since their reprehensible act. As for me, I am still moving forward with pleasure — thanks to the feature of adjustment control which allows a passenger to find the perfect position of the chair.
Continuing with the theme of comfort, I have to notice the size of windows. They are really wide. So, let’s talk a bit about the outside view. This sight is technological yet magnificent. Behold! There are fields of wind turbines, tirelessly rotating their blades. Plus one point to the score of the scenery!
Well, events are certainly moving at a brisk pace. The train is approaching Györ. The second ticket control is taking place, by a different person in a different uniform, but this is not a bother. In addition to voice announcements in English and German, from now on I can also hear the Hungarian versions.
I am at the midpoint of the whole road. The station sign with blue background and yellow letters reminds me of an old computer operating system called MS-DOS (if you have no idea what it is, congratulations: most likely, you are young and good-looking). Here, the train has a short, 3-minute stop. Pretty soon this pleasant voyage will continue, do not stop reading!
Second half
The website of ÖBB (Austrian Federal Railways), the company that operates the train I am on, says that the Business Class offers “travelling in comfort and more relaxed”. I am confirming: that’s exactly what is offered. My place is really spacious, with more than enough legroom and free space. And I especially like the panels dividing the car into sections — they provide a distinct feeling of privacy.
And we are on the move again — according to the information on a display, exactly on schedule. The speed is rather high, and the trees growing near the railroad appear as smeared, blurred and rapidly changing green shapes.
I am using the opportunity to charge my phone — with the help of a socket under the table. And let me tell you what else is here to be productively used. In addition to a small table on the left, there is a second one, unfolding from the right armrest of my chair. Also, the trash bin, surprisingly big, are here to be of service.
The landscape in the second part of the trip is different. There are no more wind turbines, at least I can’t see a single one. But, for a new thing, a lot of hills are appearing on both sides. And they are also good-looking and eye-pleasing.
And now, the next change of scenery is happening, as the train gets closer to its destination point. I can see various quintessential signs of any urban area: big roads, lots of cars, trams, apartment blocks, additional train tracks, and, of course, graffiti tags.
Finally, Railjet stops. All the passengers are getting off. I am leaving my place among the very last of them — in order to have some final looks at the interior of the Business Class car.
The last thing about this ride may be surprising to some people. During the whole journey, all the information displays were saying that the last stop of the train is Budapest-Keleti. However, we have just arrived at the station named Budapest-Deli. That’s what I was expecting, though, because my ticket had the right name on it. I don’t know if this is a regular occasion, but it probably makes sense to mind this detail. The two stations are quite far from each other, and they are located on two different sides of the Danube river.
So, I am at the westernmost of the three main railway stations of the city, in the 1st District. It is a little after 14:00. The weather is good. This report is coming to an end, and it is a proper time for a number of concluding words.
The ride was smooth and fast. This is definitely a win for the Railjet Business Class in terms of comfort. And the train deserves good words for punctuality. I’d also add some points for visual entertainment — represented by wind turbines, small stations and green hills. Overall, the experience was pleasant, and I am ready to recommend you to try it. You can book your tickets here or here, and get more information at rail.cc. Thank you for being with me on this trip!
Extra time
Budapest is an interesting city for exploring and walking. It is really diverse architecturally, historically and emotionally. So, the decision to stay here for some extra time sounds like a reasonable idea. My choice in this regard is an apartment on 7th Szarka Street, a quiet place in the historical center. It is stuffed with everything you can possibly need — from a fully equipped kitchen to a big bathtub and a washing machine.
This cozy flat is located on the level which is, enigmatically enough, called the half floor. The style of floor numbering slightly differs in various countries, and the Hungarian approach addresses the floor, which in other places could be called mezzanine floor or between floor as the half floor. Well, now I leave you with this information. See you next time on the pages of our fact-packed, experience-infused, train-friendly blog!
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