Germany: Deutsche Bahn suspends rail service to Austria and Hungary until Oct 4

German rail operator Deutsche Bahn is suspending key services to Austria and Hungary until October 4th, citing border controls introduced to manage a record influx of refugees.

The route from Budapest via Salzburg, Austria to the southern German city of Munich has been taken by tens of thousands of refugees in recent weeks.

 

“As a result of administrative measures (border controls) the long-distance routes of Deutsche Bahn will be suspended, initially until October 4th, 2015, between Munich-Salzburg (Austria) and Budapest (Hungary),” Deutsche Bahn said in an online statement.

 

Overwhelmed by the record influx, and seeking to register the

asylum-seekers as they enter the country, Germany temporarily

reintroduced border controls on September 13th.

 

All regular passenger services have been cut between Salzburg and Munich, DB said, although passengers could travel via other routes to the Austrian capital Vienna.

 

“There will be no rail replacement service,” Austrian Railways spokesman Rene Zumtobel told the APA press agency. “Customers who wish to travel from Salzburg to Munich will have to take a bus or taxi to Freilassing.”

 

Trains from and to Innsbruck, Bregenz and Zürich will be running as normal. Read more:

http://www.thelocal.at/20150922/deutsche-bahn-suspends-trains-to-austria-and-hungary