> The rail card thing is just a scheme to overcharge casual riders and tourists. It's reasonable for people who regularly go by train (...)

At least for me, one return trip at the reduced rate pays for the price of buying the railcard (which is valid for 12 months).

It's not like one has to sit down with Excel to figure out where the break-even point lies! If I don't make any additional rail journeys in Austria over the next year, I'm still not out of pocket...