Confused About Frankfurt-Cologne Train Ticket

DB does not sell round-trip tickets.

It is possible to travel round-trip on a day pass that uses regional trains, but no such passes are available for the long-distance train type that Sparpreis tickets cover.

So my ticket is in fact one-way and is only for the 11:27 train to Cologne, correct? The “continuous contract of carriage in each direction (through ticket) “ under details when booking on DB is what I was questioning, it is only in one direction to Cologne.

So my ticket is in fact one-way and is only for the 11:27 train to
Cologne, correct?

I dont have your ticket to look at but unless you were given an option to by a round trip and unless at that time you picked a return train, and unless your ticket cost twice the going rate, I sort of doubt you are riding home on that ticket.

Thank you . It is just one way, ignoring lanquage of continuous contract of carriage in each direction under ticket details while booking.

Here's my WAG about that clause that seems to concern you. Our German experts can chime in at any time.

The wording may be standard on all Sparpreis tickets. I wonder if this addresses those tickets which involve changes of trains. For example, a train that goes from A to C but requires a change in B. The contract is valid for continuous travel (taking the next, specified train) on each leg of the trip (each direction). Again, just my WAG.

"...continuous contract of carriage in each direction..." has nothing to do with changing trains. If you are traveling Frankfurt to Cologne in one hour, you are on ONE train. But even if you had chosen to make a stopover in Mainz on the way, the 2 trains you would use constitute ONE direction.

What's going on here is likely this... You booked only a one-way ticket at the travel time specified and finished the transaction. If prior to that purchase you had clicked on "return journey" when entering your data, you'd have been offered a chance to purchase a second Sparpreis trip to get back to Frankfurt after arranging your first trip (priced differently depending on which specific train you choose.) Having purchased both tickets before finishing the transaction, both trips (both directions) would then appear on your one ticket, and "each direction" would make perfect sense.

So I suspect that the "continuous contract..." phrase is something that just gets printed on all tickets, whether one-way or return. Alternatively, perhaps you actually DID select "return journey" - which triggered the phrase to be printed - but closed out your transaction prematurely after selecting only one trip.

Not sure which thing happened. But you will need to get a second ticket to return to Frankfurt.

OK, so let me untangle the wording problem I helped create here...

"DB does not sell round-trip tickets" was my first comment to you - by which I meant that you must purchase two one-way journeys to travel round trip between two points. But these two journeys may in fact be bought in one transaction and might possibly appear on just ONE piece of paper if you print out your ticket.

You learn something new here every day. Thanks Russ.

Under ticket details it recites that the ticket is “train specific travel”, but also that it is a “continuous contract of carriage in each direction (through ticket) “.

No need to worry. This wording is not specific to your connection, but rather a standardized legal text that appears on DB long-distance tickets, regardless of whether you are traveling on a direct connection, changing trains, or have a round-trip ticket. In your case, “continuous contract of carriage” (durchgehender Beförderungsvertrag) means that your journey from Frankfurt to Cologne is considered a single contract of carriage, even if you theoretically have to change trains for any reason (train cancellation, etc.).
“In each direction” has no meaning in your case; it is a standard phrase that only applies to return tickets. Strangely enough, this phrase also appears on one-way tickets.
DB ist a master at confusing it's customers.

Thanks everyone for the help.

The "continuous contract of carriage" is there just to point out to you that your transportation contract (because that is what you really bought) is with one single company. DB added that language because they also sell trips where there are multiple companies, and thus multiple contracts involved. (eg. Frankfurt - London...)

The "continuous contract of carriage" is there just to point out to you that your transportation contract (because that is what you really bought) is with one single company. DB added that language because they also sell trips where there are multiple companies, and thus multiple contracts involved. (eg. Frankfurt - London...)

More precisely: You may have a single contract of carriage (DB jargon: a “Durchgangsfahrkarte”) even if different carriers are involved, as is very often the case in local transport and also in international transport, e.g., with Switzerland, Austria, and France. This concept offers protection in the event of connection problems, protection that you do not have if you book a trip pieced together from different tickets from some reseller.

In contrast, two different tickets are issued for Frankfurt-London, and you have two different contracts of carriage. If there are then problems with the connection in Brussels, you have to resort to auxiliary constructions such as AJC and HOTNAT, and these do not always work as you would like them to.