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App planner updates

Lasse Nybro Petersen

Hi,

My girlfriend and I have planned a journey from Copenhagen to Zuerich with one stop/change in Neumünster on the 3rd of August. The first train will depart 00:08 in Copenhagen and arrive 5:30 in Neumünster. The next train will depart 07:04 in Neumünster and arrive 16:00 in Zuerich. These trains have been “booked” in our app and added both to “My Trip” and “My Pass” for both of us. So we have tickets for the trains (and we even bought seat reservations for both trains).  

But when searching for this specific journey in Rail Planner now - the journey isn’t anywhere to be found. Now it is only possible to get from Copenhagen to Neumünster by changing trains 2 times - and it doesn’t look like there is any direct train. Even though we have “booked” that before and have a ticket for that specific train. 

Can someone please clarify if that means the direct train has been cancelled? Or if it is just a sign of the train being fully booked (and therefore not possible to “book” anymore)? 

To follow up - if changes about our already booked trains (time of departure, cancellations, etc) happens.. Will we get notified in the app? Or do we just have to look out for the changes ourselves (if yes - where can we keep an eye out for the changes?)

Screenshot of our already booked journey, where it looks like we can get from Copenhagen to Neumünster without changing trains. And afterwards a screenshot of the new search, where it states we have to change trains 2 times.

 

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Best answer by Al_G 18 July 2022, 20:47

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A
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The app/planner is unreliable, it also runs offline. It does not convey reliable running information or availability of reservations.

Use planners from major train operators DB, OBB, etc to plan and check running of trains.

Be careful with terminology, adding trains to your planner or pass is not “booking” it is an entirely passive thing that has no value beyond activating your pass. If trains need reservations this must be done via interrail site or various other methods listed below.

 

 

Lasse Nybro Petersen

@Al_G Thanks for your answer! 

So we shouldn’t use the Rail Planner app to schedule our journey, as it isn’t updated that often. We should rather check available trains via the carriers own website? And afterwards try to find the same train on the Rail Planner, in order to have a valid ticket?

So just to be clear on how I should get a ticket for the train then (not a seat reservation - just a ticket)
1. I find a train I want to travel with on the carrier’s website 
2. Then I have to find the same train in the Rail Planner app. 
3. Then add the trip to My Trip
4. Then add the trip to My Pass

Is that the procedure you recommend?

A
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The advice from the experienced travellers is to not activate your pass until just before boarding the first train of your travel and to never add a journey to your pass in advance. Please read more in the text below. 

 

Here is some useful information from the experienced travellers in the Community regarding both planning, reservations and activation of pass and travel days. 

 Planning

The rail planner is normally not up to date, as it only is updated once a month, so to be sure of the time table you better check the timetable and availability on the websites of the national railways. The bigger national railways, like DB (Germany) SBB (Switzerland) and ÖBB (Austria) cover several countries. 

 Reservations 

The advice from the experienced travellers in the community is to use other ways to make reservations than the Interrail/Eurail website.  You can look at the guide in the link:

https://community.eurail.com/train-connections-reservations-47/how-to-get-reservations-105

If you, after having looked at the guide, have questions about how to make specific reservation, please give your travel details (departure date, time and route) preferably in a new topic, and you will get advice.

Please note that Interrail/Eurail charges an extra fee of 2 EUR per person and train in addition to the fee for the seat reservation.

 Activation of pass

During the activation process, when you choose the start day of the validity of the pass, the first day of the validity period is automatically made a travel day, even if you don't enter a journey, the advice is therefore not to activate the pass before the first travel day as you only can deactivate the pass before 00.00 on the day the validity starts. If your travel plans change in the last moment you will loose travel days if you have activated the pass in advance.

It can be wise to make a test and activate the pass with a start date well in the future and then deactivate the pass immediately, just to see that everything works.

 Activation of travel day

The advice from the experienced travellers in the community is also never to activate a travel day, that is connect a journey to your pass, until just before boarding the train, otherwise you might loose a travel day if your travel plans change in a late stage  You can't delete a travel day in the past. A travel day can only be deleted until 23.59 CET the day before the travel day.

Please note that I don't work for Interrail/Eurail and that I don't reply to personal messages.
Lasse Nybro Petersen

@AnnaB Thanks. That was very, very helpful!

I just have 2 follow up questions. Sorry for alle these questions. Just want to clarify everything and I think it’s a bit weird situation, I’ve ended in.

Question 1:

In general:
What if I can’t find a specific train on the Rail Planner, but it is visible through the carriers own website?

Question 2:
A more specific question, where I want to go on a specific train departure.

- One month ago, it was visible at both the Rail Planner app and the carrier’s own website. Therefore I booked a seat reservation for this specific train (via the carrier) and added the train to My Trip (in the Rail Planner app).
- Now when I search for that specific train departure, it isn’t visible at the Rail Planner app’s search engine, but it is still to be found on the carrier’s own website (and it still is visible in My Trip). 


So everything was good a month ago. But now that specific train departure isn’t showing in the Rail Planner app?
Should I be worried? Or is everything good as long as 1. the carrier (and other international carriers) still says the train are departing 2. I still have the Seat reservation 3. the train is still visible in ‘My Trip’, because I haven’t deleted it (which means I would be able to add it to my pass later on). 

Hopefully the above makes sense.

A
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@AnnaB 

Question 1:

In general:
What if I can’t find a specific train on the Rail Planner, but it is visible through the carriers own website?

If the train isn't visible just before boarding the train, when you need to add it to your pass, then you can add the journey manually.

Question 2:
A more specific question, where I want to go on a specific train departure.

- One month ago, it was visible at both the Rail Planner app and the carrier’s own website. Therefore I booked a seat reservation for this specific train (via the carrier) and added the train to My Trip (in the Rail Planner app).
- Now when I search for that specific train departure, it isn’t visible at the Rail Planner app’s search engine, but it is still to be found on the carrier’s own website (and it still is visible in My Trip). 


So everything was good a month ago. But now that specific train departure isn’t showing in the Rail Planner app?
Should I be worried?

No

Or is everything good as long as 1. the carrier (and other international carriers) still says the train are departing 2. I still have the Seat reservation 3. the train is still visible in ‘My Trip’, because I haven’t deleted it (which means I would be able to add it to my pass later on). 

Yes, everything is fine as long as the carriers say that the train will depart.

Jag hoppas att du får en trevlig resa. 🌞

Please note that I don't work for Interrail/Eurail and that I don't reply to personal messages.
Lasse Nybro Petersen

@AnnaB Thanks a lot! You’ve been very helpful 😇

M
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Planner of railway concerned-and next best bahn.com (IF it works-there seems to be large meltdown now) is always best-should not be even need to ask for.

2.Stop in Neum MAY be (but check) for only get OFF and hence will not show in german planner, as one cannot (in theory) board it there). But why the heck the change is there escapes me-stay on train to Hamburg-a little later and with plenty of food options to get some brekkie.

Thats this prob with all these planners and people without the slightest clue on how railways/routes work today-sometimes they make the silliest detours or changes.

Lasse Nybro Petersen

Hi @mcadv 

Thanks for your response!

I understand your message as follows:
You recommend us to go one stop further and change trains in Hamburg instead of changing trains in Neumünster? Because Neumünster doesn’t have any good food options - but Hamburg does.
Isn’t there any food in Neumünster at all?

I am not sure I understand the first part of your message:
Planner of railway concerned-and next best bahn.com (IF it works-there seems to be large meltdown now) is always best-should not be even need to ask for.

Can you please elaborate on that?

A
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The question isn’t if there is food in Neumünster , it is if there is food at 5.30 AM. A quick look in google maps suggests not, even the McDonalds at the station doesn’t open until 9.

 

I would agree, staying on to Hamburg and having 90 minutes there would seem like a much better choice.

 

I have no idea what the rest of his post means, mcadv has a habit of writing semi-intelligible posts in some weird shorthand known only to himself.

Lasse Nybro Petersen

Hi @Al_G 

Thanks for your response! It’s nice with all of you guys replying.

I agree - it looks like, it would have been better to make the stop in Hamburg instead of Neumünster. But I’ve just double-checked - and it wouldn’t be possible to go to Zurich via 1 stop in Hamburg. Sadly. On top of that, we have already bought the seat reservations for the trains via Neumünster as well.

So I guess we have to stick to Neumünster and maybe pack some food when we leave Copenhagen, if nothing is open in Neumünster at that time of the day. That is our current plan.
 

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