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Confused about DB trip not being available anymore

Posted by on

Hello,

I booked a round trip from Paris to Berlin. Outbound trip on the 11th of April, return trip on the 15th of April.
Today I received the following:

Due to a timetable change, your journey from Berlin Hbf to Paris Est
on 15 April 2024 cannot be carried out as described. Click "Get
current information here" for alternative journey options to your
destination. The requirement for you to travel on a specific train on
your booked connection has been lifted. This means you can also use
your ticket on other Deutsche Bahn long-distance trains (e.g.
ICE/IC/EC), as well as local trains and S-Bahn trains.

Please note that you must book a new reservation if your connection
requires one (e.g. trains to France).

You can book a new seat for your new connection if one is available.
You can submit the costs for the unused original reservation for
reimbursement. You can do so via the digital passenger rights claim
system Digital passenger rights.

Originally the trains where Paris->Manheim, Manheim->Berlin and then Berlin->Manheim, Manheim->Paris

The whole trip is summarised in this image.

Now when I click "Search for an alternative return journey" it says there are none available. But it also says I can use any other train with my ticket.

My understanding of the whole situation is the following:

  • My outbound trip from Paris to Berlin is unchanged (although it says there are timetable changes, I don't think they affect the outbound trip)
  • I can take any train from Berlin to Manheim that day without getting a new ticket (however, I made seat reservations and I guess I don't have these anymore?)
  • I have to buy a new ticket from Manheim to Paris (this I'm not really sure either)

I really need help to figure this out. I've been trying to get someone on the phone for 40 minutes but I guess nobody will ever pick up.

Thank you

Posted by
4 posts

Update:

I think I figured it out. I bought a seat reservation for €4.90 on another train from Berlin to Manheim.

All 3 other trains seem to be still available for reservation so from my understanding it means they remain unchanged.

Posted by
2333 posts

It looks like your train Berlin-Mannheim dep. 14:29 has disappeared due to the closing of the Fulda-Frankfurt line (which results in a 60-minute longer travel time between Berlin and Frankfurt). You could alternatively take ICE 375, Berlin dep. 13:26, Mannheim arr. 19:27. Then you can catch ICE 9550 to Paris, Mannheim dep. 19:40, Paris arr. 22:52, for which I assume you have a seat reservation.
Or, if you want more transfer time in Mannheim, you could take ICE 1211, Berlin dep. 13:00.

Posted by
4 posts

Thank you! That's actually what I figured out, and I made a seat reservation in ICE 1211 at 13:00.
I'm glad someone confirmed it, I'm relieved now. Thanks a lot!

Posted by
4 posts

Update:

Now I received the same email for the outbound journey.
But when I look trains up it says both (Paris Manheim and Manheim Berlin) are still available.

Only the Manheim Berlin one takes an hour longer (due to what sla019 was talking about I presume).

Is is the reason why I received the email? And I can actually still board the same train as planned?

Thank you

Posted by
1659 posts

Yes. Just board the same train. Or any other train. Your ticket is for a route, not a train.

Posted by
2333 posts

Only the Manheim Berlin one takes an hour longer (due to what sla019 was talking about I presume).
Is is the reason why I received the email? And I can actually still board the same train as planned?

Don't worry about that. DB bombards everyone with emails about every little thing. As you are saying yourself, it's the same problem as with the Berlin->Paris trip: The line from Fulda to Frankfurt will be closed due to its long overdue modernization and the train has to make a detour via Gemünden, which is why the whole Berlin-Frankfurt(-Mannheim) timetable is messed up. Just find a train between Mannheim and Berlin that suits you, be it the originally planned one or a different one.

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