1-2-3 Ticket: Everything you need to know about Austria's nationwide rail pass
Known as the 1-2-3 Ticket, Austria's nationwide public transport pass just got one step closer to reality. Here's what you need to know.
Following the success of Vienna’s 365 ticket, in which residents of Austria’s capital city pay just €1 a day to use public transport, the Austrian government has flagged a similar scheme for nationwide travel.
The government is hoping approve an annual ticket allowing unlimited travel on public transport all across the alpine state for €1,095 by the end of 2021.
The idea behind the 1-2-3 ticket is that eventually Austrian residents can choose to pay one euro per day for unlimited public transport in their own state, two euros per day for travel in two neighbouring states or three euros per day to travel throughout Austria.
365 Ticket: Everything you need to know about Vienna's cheap annual metro pass
Plans for the Austria-wide ticket, also known as the ”climate ticket”, took a step forward on Friday, January 22nd, when Green party transport minister Leonore Gewessler announced Tyrol and Vorarlberg had signed a contract to go forward with the plans.
Salzburg also signed a similar contract last year.
Gewessler now says she hopes to approve the new ticket by the end of the year, with around 150 meetings being held in a bid to get all states signed up to the plan.
When will the ticket be introduced?
The government plans to introduce the Austria-wide ticket first, and the federal tickets later.
Once it is in place, passengers with existing season tickets should be able to exchange them for the 1-2-3 ticket, though those who wish to continue using their existing ticket may also do so.
It is believed the Austria-wide ticket will be processed by ÖBB, Austria’s state railway company.
In rolling out the tickets at federal level, other transport organisations are involved.
The Kronen Zeitung reported earlier in January the Eastern Region Transport Association (VOR comprising Vienna, Lower Austria and Burgenland), wants all three options of the ticket to be introduced alongside the national ticket, saying this is the option preferred by passengers.
Concerns were also raised last year by Upper Austria and Styria about overcrowding trains and buses.
Peter Gspaltl, head of the Styrian Transport Association, said the reforms to pricing needed to be accompanied by investment in expanding existing infrastructure.
He also said passengers wanted all three tickets to be introduced at the same time.
The Mayor of Linz, Klaus Luger, also voiced objections to the scheme in December, saying from a legal standpoint the plans went against the Austrian constitution.
He also said tariffs for local and regional transport should not be set by the federal government. However, Gewessler said on Friday that this report was already out of date.
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Following the success of Vienna’s 365 ticket, in which residents of Austria’s capital city pay just €1 a day to use public transport, the Austrian government has flagged a similar scheme for nationwide travel.
The government is hoping approve an annual ticket allowing unlimited travel on public transport all across the alpine state for €1,095 by the end of 2021.
The idea behind the 1-2-3 ticket is that eventually Austrian residents can choose to pay one euro per day for unlimited public transport in their own state, two euros per day for travel in two neighbouring states or three euros per day to travel throughout Austria.
365 Ticket: Everything you need to know about Vienna's cheap annual metro pass
Plans for the Austria-wide ticket, also known as the ”climate ticket”, took a step forward on Friday, January 22nd, when Green party transport minister Leonore Gewessler announced Tyrol and Vorarlberg had signed a contract to go forward with the plans.
Salzburg also signed a similar contract last year.
Gewessler now says she hopes to approve the new ticket by the end of the year, with around 150 meetings being held in a bid to get all states signed up to the plan.
When will the ticket be introduced?
The government plans to introduce the Austria-wide ticket first, and the federal tickets later.
Once it is in place, passengers with existing season tickets should be able to exchange them for the 1-2-3 ticket, though those who wish to continue using their existing ticket may also do so.
It is believed the Austria-wide ticket will be processed by ÖBB, Austria’s state railway company.
In rolling out the tickets at federal level, other transport organisations are involved.
The Kronen Zeitung reported earlier in January the Eastern Region Transport Association (VOR comprising Vienna, Lower Austria and Burgenland), wants all three options of the ticket to be introduced alongside the national ticket, saying this is the option preferred by passengers.
Concerns were also raised last year by Upper Austria and Styria about overcrowding trains and buses.
Peter Gspaltl, head of the Styrian Transport Association, said the reforms to pricing needed to be accompanied by investment in expanding existing infrastructure.
He also said passengers wanted all three tickets to be introduced at the same time.
The Mayor of Linz, Klaus Luger, also voiced objections to the scheme in December, saying from a legal standpoint the plans went against the Austrian constitution.
He also said tariffs for local and regional transport should not be set by the federal government. However, Gewessler said on Friday that this report was already out of date.
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