Hi/Bonjour,
We plan to reach Milan on April 25th (to get the night train to Syracus).
We had seats reservation on Brussels-Koln and Koln-Basel, but we just get a message that DB timetable change and we have to find alternative. It look that I can’t book the alternative in TGV via Strasbourg on DB website…
What are my passengers rights to get to Basel or Milan (if possible without extra fees...).
Thanks for your help !
Joachim
Best answer by thibcabe
The mainline south of Karlsruhe is indeed closed over Easter and the following week. It wasn't (publicly) known when you bought the seat reservations.
The TGV to Strasbourg should be available on the Rail Europe website (it might be sold out, there's a passholder quota out of Brussels for some reason. I'll have a look.)
You're not entitled to much else than a refund of the DB seat reservations. Though rvdborgt or others might share their wisdom on the topic.
EDIT: looks like at least 4 seat reservations on the 07:17 TGV to Strasbourg are still available on Rail Europe (20€ per person). Book ASAP.
It will be much more convenient than dealing with Germany and DB -> though on paper that journey is feasible as well.
The mainline south of Karlsruhe is indeed closed over Easter and the following week. It wasn't (publicly) known when you bought the seat reservations.
The TGV to Strasbourg should be available on the Rail Europe website (it might be sold out, there's a passholder quota out of Brussels for some reason. I'll have a look.)
You're not entitled to much else than a refund of the DB seat reservations. Though rvdborgt or others might share their wisdom on the topic.
EDIT: looks like at least 4 seat reservations on the 07:17 TGV to Strasbourg are still available on Rail Europe (20€ per person). Book ASAP.
It will be much more convenient than dealing with Germany and DB -> though on paper that journey is feasible as well.
Replacement buses will be available, you will arrive 1-2 hours later in Basel (but it is usual to arrive later in Basel, the punctuality is very bad on this line).
You could also travel via Köln - Stuttgart - Zürich to Milan to avoid replacement buses.
If you have a mandatory reservation from Basel to Milan, this is a separate contract, it means that your rights are defined in the Agreement on Journey Continuation (AJC). You could only exchange the reservation for a later train.
If you have a mandatory reservation from Basel to Milan, this is a separate contract,
In Switzerland, SBB operate both the ICE to Basel and the EC to Milan, so that's not a separate contract.
In addition, that clause is disputable, since there’s no warning about separate contracts if you add such a journey in the app or book reservations for it via Interrail.
With a pass it could be a problem if you cannot continue the trip on the same day and you ask for the refund of the hotel nights.
AFAIK it's SBB between Basel Bad Bf and Basel SBB.
Main point is: by going through Germany they cannot afford to miss a single train in order to catch the ICN in Milan.
By leaving at 6:23am (ICE11) they have 40 min in Cologne, 17 min in Karlsruhe, 26 min in Baden-Baden, 35 min in Freiburg, 6 in Basel SBB and 5 in Olten.
(Then 27 min in Milan with the direct EC or 4 min Lugano/53 min Milan)
Looks good to me but again, if one train is cancelled, good luck...
Hello,
As suggested by thibcabe (thank you) we booked the TGV to Strasbourg on Rail Europe. Thanks !
The way via Germany was to risky to get the ICN in Milan.
But could we get more than a refund from DB to get the entire cost back ?
Joachim
I checked once how to get a refund of reservations from the DB, it was complicated, no forms were available. You have probably to send a mail to the customer service. It could take months until an answer comes…
I checked once how to get a refund of reservations from the DB, it was complicated, no forms were available. You have probably to send a mail to the customer service. It could take months until an answer comes…
Recently someone sent a simple e-mail to fahrkartenservice@bahn.de and received a confirmation of the refund 2 days later.
Hello,
Thanks for the information. I sent an email to fahrkartenservice@bahn.de and tried a request for a compasation of the extra cost of the alternative journey. I’ll see if it works.
I have an other question. On my pass I had a single traject from Brussel to Milano. In Switzerland, the train that is on the pass is the IC 675 from Basel to Lugano (13:03 - 15:58) and the RE 25527 from Lugano to Milan (16:02 - 17:17). I did not take seat reservation on the IC 675.
Currently, on the app, I dont see the IC 675 from Basel. It Start in Olten and I have to take the IC 971 before. Is this situation due to problem on the IC 675 or could this mean that the train is full between Basel and Olten ? I wonder if it is safer to reserve seats in the SBB IC ?
Thanks for the help.
Joachim
I have an other question. On my pass I had a single traject from Brussel to Milano. In Switzerland, the train that is on the pass is the IC 675 from Basel to Lugano (13:03 - 15:58) and the RE 25527 from Lugano to Milan (16:02 - 17:17). I did not take seat reservation on the IC 675.
Currently, on the app, I dont see the IC 675 from Basel. It Start in Olten and I have to take the IC 971 before. Is this situation due to problem on the IC 675 or could this mean that the train is full between Basel and Olten ? I wonder if it is safer to reserve seats in the SBB IC ?
The app does not know whether reservations are available or not. In addition, a seat reservation in Switzerland is a waste of money.
To arrive in Lugano at 15:58, you now need to leave Basel SBB at 12:54 and change in Olten, see sbb.ch.
Hello.
Got the same problem for the way back on the 11 of may… DB alternatives are all passing by TGV in France. We have to check that the alternative need an other ticket…I guess they do…But we dont have to catch a night train, just get home. So are there alternative throught germany ?
Thanks!
Which trains have you booked? What is your arrival time in Milan? Destination?
Without more details we can't be much help. I'll only mention that the Rhine railway is open as usual whilst Cologne - Aachen is closed (though diverted ICEs rather than replacement buses).
+8There are engineering works around Cologne until 19th of May, which heavily adapts the schedule.
You can get home from Germany, but it’ll take an hour longer as trains to Belgium will be rerouted.
So the planners give you the quickest option, which is over France.
You can still get home via Germany, but count on longer travel times around Cologne and less convenient connections. If I were you, I’lld catch the ICE to Belgium in Frankfurt, not in Cologne when coming from Basel.
Routes via France will probably be quicker, but not recommended since they have a strike on the 11th.
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