Help with DB change in itinerary between FRA & Hagen

If your booked connection no longer exists, you are free to choose any other without changing your ticket. Just look for one with a stop in Mainz or Koblenz (of duration 00:00) and take the one that suits you. the conductor knows (or can check) that your booked connection no longer exists.

Re 1): They are currently switching to a brand new version of the app and are therefore a bit slow (after all, they are a sister company of the Post;)).

The ICE 610 is on the schedule as a direct train ride between FRA airport and Hagen leaving at 13:07 (12:54 is the time at which someone would ARRIVE at FRA from Frankfurt proper on the ICE 1652.)

ICE 610 takes the high-speed route, which doesn't come close at all to the Rhine Gorge.

Your original ICE 928 train is still on the schedule, but with departure from FRA at 11:42. It still travels the Rhine route via Mainz and Koblenz and gets to Koeln Messe-Deutz at 14:08. There's a 14:25 RE train to Hagen (15:19) after that. You should be able to use this train sequence with your original ticket and without any fuss, I believe, if that is your wish. No reservations are possible on the RE train. Just board and ride.

There is a later ICE train at 16:24 from Koeln Messe-Deutz to Hagen, but that hardly seems worth the wait.

Continental, not an answer to your question, but if you want to share a screenshot, just create it, then upload it to Google photos. You can then share a link to that individual photo here in your post. I've done it occasionally and it works very well.

I have never used Google photos before and I’m trying to figure out how to do this. So far, I took three screenshots and added them to google photos. Now I’m trying to figure out how to create a link so I can share all three of them on this page. I am not technologically savvy!

In the meantime, please let me confirm my understanding of what I have read above. Even though my original ICE train number still exists and DB has recommended or assigned me on another ICE train, I want to confirm that I can take any DB train or trains I want in 1st class that day (assuming it’s offered or available ) to Hagen (including the connection) since DB changed my itinerary and notified me of this in an email. When I show the conductor the QR code for my itinerary, he
or she will understand my situation and go onto the next passenger. I won’t even need to go to a ticket agent at FRA? Is this correct? If so, this sounds very convenient! It almost sounds too good to be true. I may opt to do Russ’ suggestion as that works perfectly for what I want to do.

Quoting the relevant DB website (translated from German; couldn't find a corresponding page in English):

"You have received a notification about your journey because your booked connection could no longer be found in the current timetable. [...] You now have the following options:

-- Search for an alternative in the travel information on the desired day. You will find the link directly in the notification e-mail. There, all details are already preset, so that you can easily get an overview of when and where your train leaves or what alternatives you have."

[...]
[assuming that you have booked a Saver fare ticket:]

" -- If your booked connection is no longer possible (train or stop failure), you may travel with another train."

I do this all time. But if it makes you feel better, get a confirmation from DB desk in Frankfurt. Then you can also request a new seat reservation right away.

The DB email says my new departure time is 12:42 & will be ICE 314

Please note that this is just a suggestion; you are not obliged to take that connection.

Thank you for that translation. Those words were not in the email sent to me & the email DB sent was in English.

Ok…. So I can take any train I want to Hagen and all I have to do is show the QR code from the booking in My Tickets and the conductor on both trains, assuming I need to change trains, will accept it? If there is a long line at the ticket window and a train that is about to depart is goes on the western side of the Rhine, I would just as soon get on that train & skip the window. This is good news.

Thank you.

A few remarks about your possible alternative connections via the left bank of the Rhine (you can look up them by requesting an intermediate stop in both Mainz and Koblenz):

(1) FRA dep. 11:57 ICE 928, Köln-Deutz dep. 14:35 RE 7, Hagen arr. 15:07
Local train from Köln, few 1th class seats, no seat reservation: you give away money

(2) FRA dep. 12:57 ICE 1652, Mainz dep. 13:20 IC 2045, Hagen arr. 16:00
Short transfer time in Mainz (5 min; but your could take an earlier S-Bahn FRA-Mainz), train from Mainz is an "IC 2", i.e. a sort of slightly brushed up local train, not comparable to the ICE you paid for.

(3) FRA dep. 13:57 ICE 228, Hagen arr. 17:07
Direct ICE, way more comfy than (1) and (2).
Personally, I would take this train and have a relaxing lunch in FRA beforehand.

sla019, thank you! You bring up an option I had not thought of. I would like to see the Mainz cathedral. Could I do this with my current itinerary at no extra cost & go to the regional Bahnhof at the airport? I would just stick my luggage in a locker at the Mainz HBF.

Yes, since the train binding for your ticket is removed, you can tailor a connection to your taste and thus also include a layover in Mainz.

(Apologies for the late reply - I've been getting messages all day from the RS web site that my connection needs to be checked, and then the screen freezes).

Thank you!