transferring from train arriving in Vienna to Vienna airport with more luggage then I can carry without a trolley

Question

Last time I arrived by train in Wien Hauptbahnhof with 3 airplane checked baggage sized bags (23 kg each), transferred to a local train to Vienna Airport (Flughafen Wien) train station, and there was a big problem: there where no trolleys at the train platform for luggage, and there was quite a large distance to walk from the train station to the terminal.

I thought an airport train station of a major European airport in a very developed country would have luggage trolleys at the platforms, but no, at least I didn't find them. And the train station wasn't even connected with the airport, had to walk outside quite a distance, at least 100 meters.

If I had 4 bags to check-in this would have been impossible. I can hardly believe I am the only person wanting to transfer from Vienna Airport train station to the airport with more luggage then I can carry. Even if they had wheels (not all of the bags have wheels), I have only 2 hands to pull bags, putting 2 of them on top of the other two and trying to roll on the wheels of the lower 2 bags has only a small chance of working without breaking the bag's wheels and the whole thing becoming un-steerable, because of the weight.

What are my options if I were to make this transfer next time with four bags?

Answer 1

Vienna International Airport offers porter services for departing and arriving passengers. The minimum charge is EUR 15, which covers porterage for up to five pieces of luggage. More details here: https://www.viennaairport.com/en/passengers/airport/baggage_services.

Answer 2

The reason you cannot find an easy solution to your problem is that you are trying to do something that the system intentionally does not support.

Various sources on the Internet will claim that you are either allowed light hand luggage and one (!) piece of heavy luggage, or that you are allowed "what you can carry by yourself".

Interestingly, that information seems nowhere available on the ÖBB website. It should be in the "Beförderungsbedingungen", which also aren't easy to find, but if you dig, you can find them here:

https://www.oebb.at/static/tarife/de/handbuch_fuer_reisen_mit_der_oebb_in_oesterreich/index.html

check chapter A.4.1

There is actually no limit, except that what you bring must fit into the overhead compartment or under your seat (90 cm x 60 cm x 40 cm). No mention of number of items is made.

However, several places like the rules for disabled passengers (who get support getting into and out of the train, including carrying of one piece of luggage) clearly show that ÖBB does intend you to travel essentially as the Internet says, but without putting it into the rules. However, this implicit guideline explains why they don't help you in bringing more. (which they used to, in my childhood it was common to have trolleys at every slightly larger train station).

So you need to figure out how to do this by yourself, unless you want to hire a porter or transport service.

Some people tie luggage with 4 wheels to each other and form a small train. This seems to work reasonably well with 2 piece. YMMV.

For a short passage, like across a platform, asking a fellow traveller for help usually works, but few people will carry your stuff for more than a short distance. So check on which platforms your trains arrive and leave.

In VIE itself, the train station does exit into the main terminal, if you take the exit to the front of the arriving train. There are both elevators and a ramp, so you should be able to manage it with several pieces.