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DB ICE train questions

  1. is there a way for travellers to see which are the busier (more passengers) trains on the schedule?

(In my paranoid-American way of thinking, I'm guessing not, because that would allow terrorists to do bad things at peak times. But I am asking because maybe there's some app or some graph somewhere that will show me.)
I'm asking because I am trying to pick a day and time to take the train between A and B and want to go at a time when there are less travellers.
In general: if I have a flexible schedule and I want to go from Munich to Nuremberg in a day trip (go in AM and return in evening): is it better to go on a Wednesday or on a Saturday, if I'm trying to choose the day with less travellers? (This is in October, not during Oktoberfest, so not during Christmas Market season).

  1. do I need to worry about making a seat reservation? If I have a ticket for an earlier train, and it comes in crammed with passengers who were bumped to that ICE train because of a delay on the line, can I just wait for the next one that is less empty?

  2. How much more (euros) does it cost, to walk up and buy a the ticket at the station versus buying in advance (sparpreis I understand, usually is lower if you buy in advance), if you want to keep flexible about when you depart? I'm aware the tradeoff is the train might be booked (again, wish I could see some kind of graph when are the normally expected to be heavy-travelled times), and there are no seats left.

I had a horrible experience last year (but mostly from OeBB, which then affected my DB experience) where I did everything right under the circumstances and then still ended up on a later train, with no seat, with a much longer trip than planned. (I know I'm not the only one, and DB has a lot of issues lately). This time, I just need a short ride within the same country, and want to avoid stressing myself out.
thank you

Posted by
21203 posts

Question 1, yes, at least near term (next 2 weeks) there will be stick figure icons for 1st and 2 class on the website. 1 stick figure, light loading, 2 stick figures, medium loading. 3 stick figures, high demand expected.

Question 1a, Tickets are for specific trains, so even with a flexible ticket, it needs to be changed. If you have the DB app on your phone, relatively easy to do. But regarding seat reservations, if it looks like high demand, spend 5 EUR and buy a seat reservation.

Question 2, Depends, Sparpreis tickets are grouped in tranches (buckets), so many seats in the cheap bucket, so many seats in the next higher price level, etc until all the seats in the buckets are sold and then only full price tickets are available. You can always check to see what the flex price (full undiscounted fare) vs the current Sparpreis ticket price.

Posted by
2512 posts

Tickets are for specific trains, so even with a flexible ticket, it
needs to be changed

In Germany that is not the case. In the whole DACH area the default is still that tickets are for a route, not a train. Discounted tickets have "train binding", but you will still see the route listed, and the validity shown as one or two days (depending on distance).

There are a lot of cases that can lead the train binding to be lifted, and so discounted tickets often become fully flexibe, good for any train on the route, tickets as well. Note that if you have a ticket with train binding and the binding has not been removed you do need to take that train if possible. So when buying such a ticket I would just reserve a seat.

To see what the flexpreis is, just look at the price details. The flexpreis is always listed.

A lot of the bad experiences come from people having the wrong expectations (but yes, DB to improve as well). Train travel is not like air travel. in the DACH area you should see it as a long distance subway. Mass transit. And you are supposed to take your own initiative when needed. So you are supposed to check the schedule regularly, and just adjust your plans yourself if needed. There is rarely a need to go and exchange tickets for example.

Posted by
1529 posts

The ICE will save you 30-40 minutes over the regional (RE1) on that route, and looking at the app on my phone it looks like the busiest time is the 0800-0900 slot. Saturdays look to be busier 0900-1100. Even that only shows medium demand mid-week. Comparing ticket prices for OCT now with buying to go tomorrow shows that buying this early costs about half the later pricing. (35.9 Euro vs. 65.9 Euro)

If you have the Deutschland Pass you can travel the RE1 on that for no added cost. (49 Euro)

Posted by
59 posts

thank you Sam, WengenK, and KGC!

I always appreciate your posts on the forum. Always something useful from what you share. Thank you

I have a list of times on the date I want to go (but no stick figures yet on DB site).
I got DB's app (re-loaded, I guess I removed it after last year).

I figured out (on my own) what "DACH" meant (Deutschland, Austria, Confederatio Helvetica, but I just associate "CH" with Switzerland. But I do not understand why "A" for Austria when it is Oesterreich (there do not seem to be umlauts on this text editor)).
I have heard Americans call "DACH" "GAS" (Germany, Austria, Switzerland), in the Rick Steves tour community: (I have not been on the tour, but there is a tour that covers those countries). A fellow traveller told me "Oh you would like the GAS tour! the trains are on time, it is clean, and things work." This is now an ironic memory.

I appreciate that Europe has and uses trains, and this infrastructure is there, so I will adjust my expectations accordingly for a mass transit concept. (Then, because the San Francisco Bay Area mass transit has currently a reputation for being dirty, ancient, expensive, slow, dangerous, and illogical... anything anywhere else in the world is pretty good!)

I will book ahead, try to leave for an earlier than normal time, and just expect a delay.
I need to arrive in time for an appointment but I have a "Plan B" if the train really does not arrive and I miss the appointment.

Ok one bonus: the DB train conductor last year on my bad day, was one bright spot on the trip. He was friendly, helpful, patient, and answered questions (about passport control) and made sure my family got off the train safely at the end of our trip. I know not everyone on DB is like that, but I won't forget him.

Posted by
21203 posts

But I do not understand why "A" for Austria when it is Oesterreich (there do not seem to be umlauts on this text editor)).

"A" if for Autriche, the French word for Austria, French being the international language of diplomacy. Any German language word with an umlaut uses the "add an "e" convention when it get incorporated into the internet. Thus the website for the Austrian National Railway, österreichisch bundesbahn, is www.oebb.at.

Posted by
3037 posts

DACH letters is coming from times when all cars after 1949 were forced by law to also have a whote round country code placed near their backward national car ID plate.

And you are correct by asking why A and CH came from French language (likely because decision conference were in Geneva) and D is from German language. I never thaught about this.

More about the International vehicle registration code.

Posted by
2481 posts

why A and CH came from French language

The “A” for Austria is much older than any vehicle registration code; Austria is a Latinized form of ôstar(richi) (”Österreich”; with reconstruction of the ‘vulgar’ ô to its Standard Latin counterpart au), which had been used in Latin documents since the 12th century; hence the name of the Spanish Habsburgs Casa de Austria.
“CH“ is also Latin: Confoederatio Helvetica (”Helevtian Confederation"), introduced in 1803 as a linguistically neutral form for the multilingual Swiss Confederation.

Posted by
3037 posts

Of course the single letters are older but the combination of these for German language cluster is from these is older.

By the way: also other regions speak partly German language, e. g. Northern Itlanian South Tirol or parts of earlier Bohemia.

Posted by
59 posts

thank you all!
had successful train trip Oct 17th.

Medium load (train was not too full) ICE train, high speed, from Munich HBF to Nurnberg HBF.

I really thought 5 minutes before the scheduled departure: we are not going to make it, the train will leave, it is hopeless, I can't go, we are too late.

We were coming to the Hbf from the U-bahn and then suddenly my sister got caught on the U-bahn train with the doors closed and we were separated: she tries to be nice and let others leave the train ahead of her and then got trapped....the U-bahn went to the next station and I was on the Hbf platform. But she knew what to do, she got off at the next station and ran to the opposite platform and caught the next train back.

When we were reunited, we found out that our ICE train was delayed by a few minutes, and we made it on.
I've never been so relieved a train was delayed!!

To our surprise: our DB trip was smooth, the train was clean, we arrived in reasonable time without any issue.
On our return trip (later that evening), we reached 300 kph. (This made my day worth it because I cannot drive 300kph, and I was wondering if I should never book the train and just get a rental car).

Noticeable differences from our experience on OeBB railjet: DB actually had a conductor come check our ticket. (I know there is a mobile check in, but I wanted to see if they actually CHECK tickets). They DO care we paid for the ride!
DB exceeded my expectation.
Nurnberg and Munchen local train (VGN and MVV) apps were wonderful- we used them a lot. Worth learning to use it.

We were going to the Faber Castell experience in Stein. I am amazed we made it.

thank you

Posted by
33912 posts

thanks for reporting back how it went. Good report. I'm glad you made your train!

So how was the Faber Castell visit? I've been past there many times but never gone in. I'd love to hear.