Solved

Disappearing Routes

  • 5 October 2022
  • 5 replies
  • 80 views
T

Hello, I am wondering why multiple routes leaving from Geneva are no longer showing up on the app or the website despite the routes still running (e.g. Geneva-Lyon mid-morning departures 9:30, 11:30, 12:25; all Geneva-Paris direct trains). I was able to see them a few weeks ago for the same dates in late October. How should we get seat reservations if the routes don’t show up on the timetable anymore? I also tried to look for seat reservations on travel.b-europe but Geneva is no longer an option.

icon

Best answer by AnnaB 5 October 2022, 11:50

View original

5 replies

A
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +9

 

It is always best to check timetables and make reservations, if needed, with the national railways. Please read more about that 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 and create the ticket (QR code), 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.
M
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +5

The usual about 2-hourly TER trains Gnv-Lyon are TER and hence cannot even be REServed.

There is/was a long standing issue with direct TGV  from GNV-for the FRench/SNCF they are mostly though of as being domestic, but the app would not recognise that and charged much higher INTERNational. If it is for the next few days you are looking for-it is always possible that there are works on that sector of rails and hence non-listed-as above: best info -as should be evident- on the local websites of railways concerned on that. Or-hope not-again that favorite pastime fo French railwayworkers: do yet another strike.

R
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +9

There is/was a long standing issue with direct TGV  from GNV-for the FRench/SNCF they are mostly though of as being domestic, but the app would not recognise that and charged much higher INTERNational.

I'm not sure what you mean here. The app does not charge anything, it merely registers journeys.

If it is for the next few days you are looking for

As we can see, it is "late October”.

A test on 27 October shows that SNCF does list the normal trains from Genève to Lyon and Paris (e.g. 9:30 is a TER to Lyon with a connecting TGV to Paris). SNCF appear to have sent incomplete data to the European Timetable Centre and it is this data set that is now in the rail planner app. DB also still have the incomplete data but CD seems to match SNCF; I suppose they have already imported the latest data (DB seem to be a bit slow recently processing new timetable data).

In any case, SNCF is likely to be correct.

The rail planner app will eventually be updated with the correct timetable. But this again shows why it should not be used to plan.

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.
Y
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +10

There is/was a long standing issue with direct TGV  from GNV-for the FRench/SNCF they are mostly though of as being domestic, but the app would not recognise that and charged much higher INTERNational.

I'm not sure what you mean here. The app does not charge anything, it merely registers journeys.

If it is for the next few days you are looking for

As we can see, it is "late October”.

A test on 27 October shows that SNCF does list the normal trains from Genève to Lyon and Paris (e.g. 9:30 is a TER to Lyon with a connecting TGV to Paris). SNCF appear to have sent incomplete data to the European Timetable Centre and it is this data set that is now in the rail planner app. DB also still have the incomplete data but CD seems to match SNCF; I suppose they have already imported the latest data (DB seem to be a bit slow recently processing new timetable data).

In any case, SNCF is likely to be correct

The rail planner app will eventually be updated with the correct timetable. But this again shows why it should not be used to plan.

Just a small suggestion - Do not frighten people from using the IR planner, but to use it wisely.

I have no problem using the IR planners (both web and app based) as one of the tools for planning. I  find it useful to determine possible routings and likely reservation compulsory services, but then use any and all reputable planners to check alternative trains and timings. That includes both national operator websites and commercial ticket sites such as Trainline etc.

Just as with reservations there is a complex process of working optimum routings and timings, which you, and regular interrailers, obviously understand and use, and whilst the IR planner is a relatively crude tool with faults, it is ridiculously simple for newbies.

R
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +9

Just a small suggestion - Do not frighten people from using the IR planner, but to use it wisely.

I have no problem using the IR planners (both web and app based) as one of the tools for planning.

In my opinion, both the rail planner app and the website have too many errors to be of any practical use for the average traveller. Although lately it seems that the number of errors in the website planner is a bit smaller. Errors include:

  • Out of date timetables
  • Showing compulsory reservations where they're optional.
  • Showing optional reservations where they're compulsory.
  • Showing “not in pass network” where the pass is valid.
  • Failing to show “not in pass network” where the pass is not valid.

You basically cannot trust the results. When you need to check elsewhere if the results are correct, then why bother with these planners in the first place? If you need an easy to use planner with European coverage, then you can use the DB, ÖBB, SBB or ČD planner.

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.

Reply


Terms and Conditions & Privacy PolicyCookie settings