Question on saver pass ticket from DB BAHN website

7 minutes is usually more than enough time.

Trains rarely get canceled, although it does happen sometimes due to technical faults. In my experience with a non-refundable ticket, if the arriving train is late or one leg is canceled, they will generally honor the ticket on an alternative train. The only thing you might lose is your seat reservation (if you made one), but you can almost always find a seat somewhere.

We had saving fare tickets and missed our connecting train in Mannheim because our train from Paris was late. We just went into the ticket office at the Mannheim station and they re-ticketed us on the next outgoing train - no extra cost or fees at all.

It is written into the AGB (Conditions of Carriage) for the Bahn. If you have a Savings Fare ticket, and you miss a train due to a "fault of the Bahn", you can take the next available train. I'm not sure if that means that you don't have to get the ticket office to reassign you, but I would definitely recommend it.

That happened to me. A regional train connecting to an IC was late, and I missed the IC. I went to the ticket counter and showed them my ticket. After checking with their computer to see if my regional train was indeed late, they reassigned me to the next "fast" train, an ICE. I actually arrived at my destination sooner than I would have with the IC. Actually, the ICE connection was available when I booked, but the lowest tier tickets were sold out at 29€, and I would have had to pay 39€, There were still 29€ ticket available for the IC connection so I booked it. So, they ended up putting me on a more expensive train.

However, if you miss a specified train from an airport because you flight is late (not a fault of the Bahn), you are out of luck.

These tracks are pretty close together - from track 3 to track 7. The train only stops for 2 minutes in Karlsruhe, so everyone must be ready to hop off quickly with luggage, and hopefully not at the end of the line of passengers. There is no convenient earlier departure that would give you a longer connection time, so I would stick with this plan.

First, I agree that seven minutes should be enough time to make that connection. whether it's track 5 to 2 (1 platform change) or track 3 to 7 (2 platform change), the major time will be spent going from the train to the stairs and down the stair, then going up the stairs. The distance between stairs in the tunnel is short.

The main thing to remember is that this is not an airplane - you don't have to remain seated until the train comes to a complete stop - in fact you shouldn't. As you are entering the station, get up, gather your belongings, and move to the end of the car, to the door. Then, when the train stops, you can get off immediately. The passenger boarding from the platform will usually allow you to get off before getting on. But if you are still in your seat when the train stops, you'll be like a fish swimming upstream, trying to get past the boarding passenger.

As soon as you get off, locate the stairs to the tunnel (just follow the heard). It helps if you already know the track number of your connecting train. You don't have to run, but move quickly, stay with the heard. The conductor is standing on the platform, watching the boarding passengers. He will not release the train while people are still boarding. When you get to the new platform, get on the nearest car. You can find your car (with a reserved seat) or any empty seat after the train departs.

But, if you are worried about the connecting time, you can always use the stopover function to schedule a longer time for the change (but it might mean having to wait an hour until the next train).

Thanks a lot for everyone's response, I think I get the idea that 7 minutes of transfer time should suffice if I follow the few tips suggested like getting ready to take off as soon the train stops at the transferring station.We would definitely try that out with the 2 kids we are travelling. Thanks again!

-RC

"like getting ready to take off as soon the train stops" Too late. I like Lee's analogy of fish swimming up stream. The time to get up and move to the door of the carriage is just before the train arrives at the station. That way, you're positioned at the door when the train actually stops.