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booking replacement bus for a cancelled connection

  • 5 December 2023
  • 8 replies
  • 395 views
F

Hello Inter/Eurail community,

I am posting this from a train that is currently traveling from Vienna to Dortmund. I just found out (purely by chance, as the rail planner app doesn’t show this), that the train I was supposed to take from Stuttgart Hbf to Bruxelles Midi runs only until Köln due to a strike. On the Deutsche Bahn website it says that there will be 4 replacement buses from Köln Hbf to Bruxelles Midi without any stops. Apparently these buses are a service by Univers Reisen but I can not find any information about them, no timetables, ticket costs, anything.

I have two questions. Firstly, is this because these replacement buses are only meant for people being affected by this now interrupted connection? Secondly, is my global pass still valid on these replacement buses, and if so how do I add them to my pass since I don’t even know the times (yet).

There is an alternative route that requires me to take 4 additional connections, something I would like to avoid if I can.

Thanks!

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Best answer by thibcabe 5 December 2023, 15:06

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Yes these buses are in place for people affected by the strike/cancellations. Simply go to the departure point (Breslauer Platz) as soon as you arrive. Staff should be there to guide you.

Your pass is fully valid. Simply log the train you were supposed to take, nobody will check anything anyway.

EDIT : I'm seeing on DB Navigator app that those buses will run until Liège-Guillemins. There should be trains running to Brussels afterwards.

Indeed you should always check timetables on the railway company's website/app. DB Navigator app covers most of Europe too.

Rail Planner is rarely updated so don't rely on it for sure !

F

Thanks for the swift reply! This put my mind at ease. Somehow it didn't cross my mind that an app that can work offline wouldn't have the most up-to-date info :) I'll make sure to verify trips from now on.

 

By the way, for future reference can you tell me where in the DB Navigator app do you see the bus timetable and details? For me this is how it looks and none of the links seem to show additional info about the replacement bus.

 

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There's no additional detail apart from the short notice about the vier Ersatzbusse. You're quite lucky that they added something on the app, it's rarely that well organized !

But from my experience it works like this :

It will be quite chaotic on Breslauer Platz. Staff will try to put as many people as possible on the buses and then each one will leave. They won't check tickets or anything, they have bigger priorities.

Nobody really knows how long the journey to Liège could take : likely 2h at least. There will be traffic for sure. You might be able to take the 22:01 train to Brussels - Gand.

Let us know how it goes !

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For up to date timetables in Belgium during the strike, check the NMBS app or website. It is unlikely that the alternative train service during the strike will be available anywhere else.

In addition, please never use the rail planner app to plan any journey.

Please ask questions in the community and not via a private message. That's the quickest way to get a response. I don't work for Eurail/Interrail.
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@rvdborgt thanks for the heads up. I’ll be spending some time in Belgium so this is useful info.

@thibcabe You asked for an update, and I shall provide :) Perhaps this can serve as a point of reference for others suffering a similar fate. Unfortunately I didn’t make it to the replacement buses at Breslauer Platz. I wasted some precious time looking for the bus stops but in the end went to the DB information desk, where an employee kindly told me that all the buses have already left. He also said that I am eligible for a hotel fee compensation.

They asked for my ticket, which I could not produce since I only have the pass (didn’t make any seat reservations either), so in the end he gave me an envelope with a passenger rights claim form and I proceeded to book a hotel. I didn’t ask but had a feeling that if I had a ticket instead, I would directly be getting a hotel voucher instead of going through the compensation process?

Here’s where things get kind of confusing again because other than the trip I have in my rail planner app, I have no proof that I was affected by this. I searched around a bit and came across some posts elsewhere (you were one of the people replying) where people were saying that Eurail refund policy is a bit weaker than if you were to have a proper ticket. I don’t know if I will get refunded for this hotel but I will try. Perhaps you have some insight to this as well? :)

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Unfortunately I didn’t make it to the replacement buses at Breslauer Platz. I wasted some precious time looking for the bus stops but in the end went to the DB information desk, where an employee kindly told me that all the buses have already left. He also said that I am eligible for a hotel fee compensation.

They asked for my ticket, which I could not produce since I only have the pass (didn’t make any seat reservations either),

Your pass is your ticket! Whether you have reservations or not is irrelevant.

Did you show your pass? If so, what did they say?

so in the end he gave me an envelope with a passenger rights claim form and I proceeded to book a hotel. Here’s where things get kind of confusing again because other than the trip I have in my rail planner app, I have no proof that I was affected by this. I searched around a bit and came across some posts elsewhere (you were one of the people replying) where people were saying that Eurail refund policy is a bit weaker than if you were to have a proper ticket. I don’t know if I will get refunded for this hotel but I will try. Perhaps you have some insight to this as well? :)

The best is to get a hotel directly from DB, so you don't have to ask for reimbursement. And if you have a flexipass, also an additional ticket, but you can also travel tomorrow on today's ticket.

Getting a reimbursement for your hotel costs may prove a bit difficult. You can try DB, but they often say that the ticket seller is responsible to handle such things, although DB would have been responsible to arrange accommodation. Where did you buy your Interrail?

Finally, you can request compensation for delay here:

https://www.interrail.eu/en/support/delay-compensation

Please ask questions in the community and not via a private message. That's the quickest way to get a response. I don't work for Eurail/Interrail.
F

@rvdborgt The employee I tried to speak with was behind a glass screen and looked kinda annoyed/tired from the large queue of people. I showed him the rail planner app and my pass on it, clearly showing that I’ve used up a day and the trip itself. He didn’t scan it or anything and just handed me the claim envelope. Now I’m realizing that I might have made a mistake by not pushing and just accepting it. He then told me that I should come back tomorrow to hand in the envelope to another office also at the Hbf. Perhaps tomorrow I can push for it and mention what happened the day before with the employee, where he didn’t even scan my pass.

I bought the Interrail directly from the website (interrail.eu). I have the 10 days over 2 months pass that I activated today. Regarding the delay compensation page of interrail itself, would I be able to ask for a compensation for accommodation costs if DB refuses to reimburse me?

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@rvdborgt The employee I tried to speak with was behind a glass screen and looked kinda annoyed/tired from the large queue of people. I showed him the rail planner app and my pass on it, clearly showing that I’ve used up a day and the trip itself. He didn’t scan it or anything and just handed me the claim envelope. Now I’m realizing that I might have made a mistake by not pushing and just accepting it. He then told me that I should come back tomorrow to hand in the envelope to another office also at the Hbf. Perhaps tomorrow I can push for it and mention what happened the day before with the employee, where he didn’t even scan my pass.

They don't need to scan it, all information they need is visible in the app.

I bought the Interrail directly from the website (interrail.eu). I have the 10 days over 2 months pass that I activated today. Regarding the delay compensation page of interrail itself, would I be able to ask for a compensation for accommodation costs if DB refuses to reimburse me?

Interrail say they don't reimburse such costs, you can see it on the compensation page. If DB refuse reimbursement (you can indeed use the form for that), then there are a number of things you can do. Filing a claim with Interrail is one of them, and then include proof that DB refuse to reimburse and see what they say.

AFAIK who needs to handle the reimbursement in such a case is unsolved. The EU Regulation on rail passengers rights doesn't specify that. There's indeed a principle that the organisation you concluded a contract with should do that, which in this case would be Interrail (technically Eurail b.v.). Another principle would be that the operator who was responsible for the assistance would have to reimburse, in this case DB.

I don't have much personal experience here, maybe @seewulf?

Please ask questions in the community and not via a private message. That's the quickest way to get a response. I don't work for Eurail/Interrail.

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