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Help with Germany train strikes and missing connection

  • 3 September 2021
  • 4 replies
  • 243 views

Hello I have a scheduled train ride from Mannheim to Berlin for Sunday 05/09 that appears to be canceled, it was for 0156h approx

The next available train to Berlin appears to be at 5 am that connection appears on the dbahn website but not on the interrail pass app.  but I will miss my connection in Berlin to Warsaw anyway. 

Are reservations needed on German trains? I think not but I have no idea how interrail works since I'm a complete newbie and the faq is vague.  Should I go to ticket office regardless? Do they give hotel vouchers for missed connection due to strike? 

I know Berlín to Warsaw I need a reservation will there be a rep from ICC in Berlin Hbf? How do I go about changing that? 

 

 

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Best answer by seewulf 3 September 2021, 22:21

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Userlevel 7
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Usually reservation are not needed in Germany few exceptions like Nighttrains, Highspeed further to France or Eurocity´s to Poland & Denmark :)

If you miss a connection due the strike it´s the best to head to the “Service Point or DB Information” of the station (mostly on major stations) and ask them for help :) Often you get a Hotel Voucher and a letter that makes your Railpass valid for the next day (no need to waste another travelday of a Flexipass) or they provide you a taxi voucher (happend to me quite often Hamburg or Hannover to Berlin :) )

The reservation for Berlin - Warsaw can be exchanged at the “DB Reisezentrum” these are the International ticket desks at german station :) You can do it either in Mannheim,Frankfurt or even in Berlin :)

The “DB Information” in Mannheim is staffed till from 6am till midnight :/

Userlevel 7
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@Cristian Martínez  please note that due the strike there will be no train from Berlin to Warsaw 😕 the Eurocities start from Rzepin (the first polish station)

my suggestion is to catch from Strausberg  a S-Bahn (atleast every 40mins due the strike) from Hbf or Ostbahnhof  and catch there the Regionaltrain to Küstrin/Kostzyn 🙂 from there you have connection to Polish fast trains 🙂 currently there is a short bus replacement on the last leg of the regional train from “Küstrin-Kietz” (last german station) to Kostzyn/Küstrin (final station in Poland) the bus just need 10minutes 🙂 and from Küstrin you could catch a Intercity at 5pm directly to Warsaw :)

@Cristian Martínez  please note that due the strike there will be no train from Berlin to Warsaw 😕 the Eurocities start from Rzepin (the first polish station)

my suggestion is to catch from Strausberg  a S-Bahn (atleast every 40mins due the strike) from Hbf or Ostbahnhof  and catch there the Regionaltrain to Küstrin/Kostzyn 🙂 from there you have connection to Polish fast trains 🙂 currently there is a short bus replacement on the last leg of the regional train from “Küstrin-Kietz” (last german station) to Kostzyn/Küstrin (final station in Poland) the bus just need 10minutes 🙂 and from Küstrin you could catch a Intercity at 5pm directly to Warsaw :)

Thank you so much for the quick responses! If no reservation is needed on most German trains, how does it work? I just hop on and sit wherever I want? How does seating work? 

Userlevel 7
Badge +14

@Cristian Martínez  you can sit on any free seat above the seats or on the seats you found usually digital displays that show on which section the seat is reserved :) in older trains you have paper stripes next to the seats with the reservation informations

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