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Freeriding trains in Austria works fairly good.
In '''long distance trains''' they usually check tickets of everyone only once or twice during a journey. Usually in beginning of the journey. So if you manage to hide during the initial checking (toilet, luggage compartment, walking around the conductor pretending to be calling on phone…) you can then just sit down and pretend to be checked already. After the initial checking they will just ask for new passengers so you just read your book and don’t react. Also if you enter the train not in the first station you can just pretend to be already checked. Most long distance trains start either in Wien or Graz or somewhere in neighboring countries. So if you for example wanna go from Salzburg to Innsbruck the train comes from Wien and was most likely controlled already so they will ask just for new passengers.
If the train comes from other country they change the crew on the border so then the Austrian crew is likely to check everyone. With the long distance trains you can cross whole Austria without having any problem. Usually it is mostly about avoiding the one time they control everyone and then just ignoring them when they ask for newcomers.
Don't pretend to be sleeping. It is better to just read o book or look in phone and ignore them when they ask for new passengers. If you pretend to sleep (or if you sleep) they are likely to wake you up and ask for your ticket.
Sometimes you are unlucky and they think you are new in train and ask you for a ticket. The best think is to stay calm and tell them that you already showed the ticket and that you come from... (Graz, Wien, whatever big city that the train is coming from). After saying this just look back to your book or phone so that the conversation is finished. It often works and they let you be.
Some of the long distance trains are the new fancy once (similar style as ICE or TGV) but some are bit more oldschool. For freeriding it does not make much difference. Unless you like to hide in a luggage compartment. The new fancy trains have usually shelves for luggage where you can hide behind your backpack. The older once often don't have those shelves and have just a shelve above the seats. So forexample the trains from Wien to Innsbruck and Switzerland are the new ones and trains from Graz to Salzburg or Innsbruck are the older ones without luggage shelves.
It seems liket that there is a clear pattern on when they control everyone. So if you ride regularly you can kind of figure it out.
From '''Graz''' to ''' Salzburg''' (and oposite direction as well) they check everyone in the begining and then they ask just for new passengers.
From '''Graz''' to ''' Innsbruck''' they check in the very begining and then ask for new passengerrs but as the train ride is very long it is possible that the conductor will change and new conductor might control everyone again.
From '''switzerland (or Bregenz) to Wien''' they control between the begining and Innsbruck. Then it is chill again. Then they control between Kufstein (or Worgl) and Salzburg. Between Salzburg and Wien they usually just ask for new passengers.
From '''Wien to Switzerland (or Bregenz)''' They control somewhere between Wien and Salzburg. From Salzburg to Innsbruck they just ask for new passengers. Between Innsbruck and Switzerland they might control again.
Between '''Wien and Graz''' (in each direction) they often control in begining and then just ask for newcommers but it seems to be not so sure as sometimes they control bit later. So keep attentive.
All those information is just from observation so there is no guarantee that it works always like this but it seems to be usually like that. It is experiences from 2023 so in future it might change.
'''Regional trains''' are often without any control. But often they do control. Maybe 50% of time there is a conductor and 50% of time not. But that is very not precise estimation.
