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Don't take the ÖBB night-train from Zürich HB to Amsterdam and back. They sell you the premium package online with fancy pictures of their new trains but the tr

Don't take the ÖBB night-train from Zürich HB to Amsterdam and back. They sell you the premium package online with fancy pictures of their new trains but the train that shows up is an old 1970 rail car with both toilets locked (broken for weeks I found out), broken doors, broken heater, missing ladders, broken window blinds etc. At this time if they can't even clean the toilets then it is not worth the steep price. Here is a video of the squeaking noise we had all night (sounds like the rail car is about to break in half): https://www.youtube.com/shorts/GLNqpCfIawc https://www.youtube.com/shorts/GLNqpCfIawc The toilets: https://imgur.com/gZqhDvz https://imgur.com/gZqhDvz , even better was that the toilets in the other attached rail carriages had no toilet paper (Amsterdam -> Zürich)... Additionally from Amsterdam to Zürich 3 people got robbed while still in the Netherlands. This train is reservation only, they could at least lock the doors or something to prevent criminals from boarding. I would have been more comfortable with a seat in the 1st class SBB carriage that rides along than a private cabin and it would have cost a lot less.

konschubert 3y ago
If a hotel chain uses pictures from one hotel to advertise another, that's false advertisement. OBB should be held to the same standard.
- sschueller 3y ago
  Yes and I did bring this up when I wrote a complaint to the ÖBB after my trip. They offered a certificate for another trip but I would have rather just had some cash back.
politelemon 3y ago
I'm not sure why your toilets link goes up a video of a cute cat sleeping. Not that I mind. Has it been taken down?
- sschueller 3y ago
  I think I fixed it now, lol
untitaker_ 3y ago
> Additionally from Amsterdam to Zürich 3 people got robbed while still in the Netherlands. This train is reservation only, they could at least lock the doors or something to prevent criminals from boarding. compartments can be locked, locking up the entire train and having the entire boarding process be bottlenecked on ticket inspectors seems highly impractical
- easyKL 3y ago
  Having the ticket control at station building before accessing the platform (airport alike) can be very fast when efficiently done.
  - lheck 3y ago
    ok, just quickly change the entire layout of every station in Central Europe to have ticket control
    - bondarchuk 3y ago
      Amsterdam Central Station already has this infrastructure for the train to the UK.
      - WJW 3y ago
        On exactly 1 platform out of 15 though, and it took several years to rework all the access routes to and from that platform. It is also already much too small for all the extra capacity it will need when Eurostar intends to start using longer trains.
        bondarchuk 3y ago
        >On exactly 1 platform out of 15 though Given the relative frequencies of domestic trains vs. international sleeper trains I'm not sure this is a problem.
  - untitaker_ 3y ago
juujian 3y ago
I cannot believe that I had a better experience taking the Amtrak in the US than you had with ÖBB :D
- KennyBlanken 3y ago
  Anecdotes - either yours or theirs - are not evidence of overall problems or quality.
  - concordDance 3y ago
    They are evidence, but due to selection effects they're generally a small amount of evidence (with the amount depending on the expected size of relevant population - in this case passengers seeing this HN story).
sandman1906 3y ago
I've taken that route in a couchette car twice. I haven't had any issues and didn't find the quality of the service to be any different than other NightJets. I mean, it's not exactly luxury travel (in a couchette car), but I have nothing to complain about. I'm not a fan of the fact that ÖBB couchette compartments don't have locks on their doors. But the sleeper cabins do. Were the people who were robbed in a sleeper?
- proto_lambda 3y ago
  > I'm not a fan of the fact that ÖBB couchette compartments don't have locks on their doors The ones I know have both a turning lock that can be opened from the outside by the conductor or anyone else with a wrench (so more of a protection against someone mistakenly stumbling into your compartment in the middle of the night), as well as a deadbolt that can't be opened from the outside without ripping it apart.
  - prospector1065 3y ago
    I'm guessing this is what happened to me. I was robbed overnight in a sleeper car, which I assumed was safe because there were literally 3 locks on the door. This seems to be a pretty common occurrence
KennyBlanken 3y ago
One-off anecdotes are not evidence of systemic problems. What evidence do you have that any of what you described is common? Multiple commenters describe taking the OBB night train and speak highly of it. Edit: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37810476 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37810476 Apparently it's location specific. > However, the different forms of downgrades and downgrades affect the destinations differently. Most of the downgrades from sleeping to couchette carriages were available to La Spezia. Double downgrades – i.e. from sleeping to seat carts – are hard to find in the data. Downgrades or night-chair downgrades or night-chair hooks meet the Zurich destination. A downgrade from compartment cars to large-capacity cars was again almost standard in the last two months at the Bregenz destination
- sschueller 3y ago
  Problems with the Zürich <-> Amsterdam line are constantly in the news[1]. I was not the only person on this train that had issues. I voiced mine at a later time directly with ÖBB unlike others that complained to the staff which were not at fault here. It is a systematic problem and the nigthjet in this state should not be offered if they can't keep it up to a minimum standard. I don't have a problem with a 1970's train but then don't sell me a trip in a modern rail car with a 360 walkthough on the website when it isn't what I am getting. Working toilets (With toilet paper) is the only thing I would expect on a 9 hours trip, everything else I don't care about. [1] https://www.travelnews.ch/on-the-move/24452-viel-aerger-mit-nachtzuegen.html https://www.travelnews.ch/on-the-move/24452-viel-aerger-mit-... [2] https://www.blick.ch/schweiz/zuerich/aargauer-erlebt-nachtzug-panne-riesen-sauerei-passagiere-mussten-in-den-gaengen-schlafen-id18658476.html https://www.blick.ch/schweiz/zuerich/aargauer-erlebt-nachtzu...
ckanesan 3y ago
We took the Zürich to Amsterdam connection on Thursday evening and were told that the couchette wagon that we had booked was not available once we were on the platform. It was replaced by an SBB first class coach. Those are usually nice but not for an 11 hour ride. Furthermore, the lights don't dim that much so it was hard to sleep. My pregnant wife resorted to sleep on the floor. The breakfast that comes with a couchette booking was also missing. We were not offered any compensation and were told to write to OeBB.
- sschueller 3y ago
  Write them and list all that wasn't as advertised. It takes a long time for a reply and you will probably only get a coupon but the more people complain the more likely they will stop these shenanigans. This is what I did and they gave me a coupon for at least part of what I paid but I have no use for it as I almost never travel to Austria.
prospector1065 3y ago
I was robbed on the train from Zurich to Vienna. Even with the 3 door locks, somehow a thief was able to open the door and go through all my belongings without waking me. It is much more common than ÖBB would like people to know, and they do absolutely nothing about it once reported. I loved taking the night train, but I'm not sure I would recommend it, based on the chance of getting robbed alone

konschubert 3y ago

If a hotel chain uses pictures from one hotel to advertise another, that's false advertisement. OBB should be held to the same standard.

sschueller 3y ago
Yes and I did bring this up when I wrote a complaint to the ÖBB after my trip. They offered a certificate for another trip but I would have rather just had some cash back.

politelemon 3y ago

I'm not sure why your toilets link goes up a video of a cute cat sleeping. Not that I mind. Has it been taken down?

sschueller 3y ago
I think I fixed it now, lol

untitaker_ 3y ago

> Additionally from Amsterdam to Zürich 3 people got robbed while still in the Netherlands. This train is reservation only, they could at least lock the doors or something to prevent criminals from boarding. compartments can be locked, locking up the entire train and having the entire boarding process be bottlenecked on ticket inspectors seems highly impractical

easyKL 3y ago
Having the ticket control at station building before accessing the platform (airport alike) can be very fast when efficiently done.
- lheck 3y ago
  ok, just quickly change the entire layout of every station in Central Europe to have ticket control
  - bondarchuk 3y ago
    Amsterdam Central Station already has this infrastructure for the train to the UK.
    - WJW 3y ago
      On exactly 1 platform out of 15 though, and it took several years to rework all the access routes to and from that platform. It is also already much too small for all the extra capacity it will need when Eurostar intends to start using longer trains.
      - bondarchuk 3y ago
        >On exactly 1 platform out of 15 though Given the relative frequencies of domestic trains vs. international sleeper trains I'm not sure this is a problem.
- untitaker_ 3y ago

juujian 3y ago

I cannot believe that I had a better experience taking the Amtrak in the US than you had with ÖBB :D

KennyBlanken 3y ago
Anecdotes - either yours or theirs - are not evidence of overall problems or quality.
- concordDance 3y ago
  They are evidence, but due to selection effects they're generally a small amount of evidence (with the amount depending on the expected size of relevant population - in this case passengers seeing this HN story).

sandman1906 3y ago

I've taken that route in a couchette car twice. I haven't had any issues and didn't find the quality of the service to be any different than other NightJets. I mean, it's not exactly luxury travel (in a couchette car), but I have nothing to complain about. I'm not a fan of the fact that ÖBB couchette compartments don't have locks on their doors. But the sleeper cabins do. Were the people who were robbed in a sleeper?

proto_lambda 3y ago
> I'm not a fan of the fact that ÖBB couchette compartments don't have locks on their doors The ones I know have both a turning lock that can be opened from the outside by the conductor or anyone else with a wrench (so more of a protection against someone mistakenly stumbling into your compartment in the middle of the night), as well as a deadbolt that can't be opened from the outside without ripping it apart.
- prospector1065 3y ago
  I'm guessing this is what happened to me. I was robbed overnight in a sleeper car, which I assumed was safe because there were literally 3 locks on the door. This seems to be a pretty common occurrence

KennyBlanken 3y ago

One-off anecdotes are not evidence of systemic problems. What evidence do you have that any of what you described is common? Multiple commenters describe taking the OBB night train and speak highly of it. Edit: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37810476 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37810476 Apparently it's location specific. > However, the different forms of downgrades and downgrades affect the destinations differently. Most of the downgrades from sleeping to couchette carriages were available to La Spezia. Double downgrades – i.e. from sleeping to seat carts – are hard to find in the data. Downgrades or night-chair downgrades or night-chair hooks meet the Zurich destination. A downgrade from compartment cars to large-capacity cars was again almost standard in the last two months at the Bregenz destination

sschueller 3y ago
Problems with the Zürich <-> Amsterdam line are constantly in the news[1]. I was not the only person on this train that had issues. I voiced mine at a later time directly with ÖBB unlike others that complained to the staff which were not at fault here. It is a systematic problem and the nigthjet in this state should not be offered if they can't keep it up to a minimum standard. I don't have a problem with a 1970's train but then don't sell me a trip in a modern rail car with a 360 walkthough on the website when it isn't what I am getting. Working toilets (With toilet paper) is the only thing I would expect on a 9 hours trip, everything else I don't care about. [1] https://www.travelnews.ch/on-the-move/24452-viel-aerger-mit-nachtzuegen.html https://www.travelnews.ch/on-the-move/24452-viel-aerger-mit-... [2] https://www.blick.ch/schweiz/zuerich/aargauer-erlebt-nachtzug-panne-riesen-sauerei-passagiere-mussten-in-den-gaengen-schlafen-id18658476.html https://www.blick.ch/schweiz/zuerich/aargauer-erlebt-nachtzu...

ckanesan 3y ago

We took the Zürich to Amsterdam connection on Thursday evening and were told that the couchette wagon that we had booked was not available once we were on the platform. It was replaced by an SBB first class coach. Those are usually nice but not for an 11 hour ride. Furthermore, the lights don't dim that much so it was hard to sleep. My pregnant wife resorted to sleep on the floor. The breakfast that comes with a couchette booking was also missing. We were not offered any compensation and were told to write to OeBB.

sschueller 3y ago
Write them and list all that wasn't as advertised. It takes a long time for a reply and you will probably only get a coupon but the more people complain the more likely they will stop these shenanigans. This is what I did and they gave me a coupon for at least part of what I paid but I have no use for it as I almost never travel to Austria.

prospector1065 3y ago

I was robbed on the train from Zurich to Vienna. Even with the 3 door locks, somehow a thief was able to open the door and go through all my belongings without waking me. It is much more common than ÖBB would like people to know, and they do absolutely nothing about it once reported. I loved taking the night train, but I'm not sure I would recommend it, based on the chance of getting robbed alone