S-bahn and DB in Germany

Hi,

If you are within walking distance to Alexanderplatz, validate your S-Bahn ticket there by inserting it in the Entwerter. When you get to Berlin Hbf., you're most likely taking the ICE to Lutherstadt Wittenberg; the controller will definitely check your train ticket en route to Lutherstadt Wittenberg.

Does it have to be the same S-bahn train number?

The ticket that I plan to purchase is the savings ticket on bahn.com website

Thanks

"In the ticket it says a specific S-bahn train number," Are you sure that's a train number or is a train line? I don't think individual Sbahn runs receive a unique number designator, like long distance trains do. The Sbahn works like commuter rail. Trains run very frequently, seats are not reserved, and tickets do not obligate you to riding one specific train.

"Do I need to validate my train ticket that i purchased online on S-bahn?" I'm not 100% sure about this, but if your ticket that you printed out at home shows a continuing trip on a different train beyond Berlin, I'm going to say "no". Plus, there's the practical issue that those online purchased tickets would not fit in the small slot of the validator. Finally... they only check Sbahn tickets once the trains reach the outer districts of Berlin, if at all. On the very short ride between Alexanderplatz to the Berlin Hauptbahnhof, the conductors never check for validation. So many people get and and off, it's impossible. The honor system is very much in place.

Yes, you won't need to validate your ticket if you have one that you printed at home, and it won't fit in the machine. And there is no need to get a specific S-Bahn train, just make sure you're on the right one from Hbf to Wittenberg.

Yes, The ticket says a specific S-Bahn train number and time: S 75

Although as you said it is probably okay with any S-Bahn train as it runs very frequently.

"S75" is a line, not a specific train. The only reason it probably lists that one is because an Sbahn along that particular line moves through the Alexanderplatz station to the Hauptbahnhof for the time you entered your query. Almost all Sbahn lines moving west from Alexanderplatz pass through the Hauptbahnhof, so as long as you get there by the time your train to Wittenberg leaves, it doesn't matter which specific Sbahn train you take.

The only specific trains that you are required to take are the trains of the Bahn (ICE/IC/EC) listed on your ticket. Where regional trains (S/RB/RE/IRE) are shown, you can take any regional train on the same route from midnight (0000) until 10:00 AM the following day.

You'll probably see on your printout the statement:
"Gültigkeit: your date
DB: Gilt nur in gebuchten Zügen an angegebenen Reisetagen. Im NV(S/RB/RE/IRE) auf eingetr. Strecke vor/nach den geb. Zügen am 1. Tag u. Folgetag bis 10 Uhr."

Validity: your date
DB: valid only in the booked trains on the specified travel days. In regional trains(S/RB/RE/IRE) on the designated [my translation] segments before/after the booked trains on the first day and following day until 10 o'clock.*

It's called the vor- und nachlauf clause of the Conditions of Carriage.

The printed ticket will not fit into the cancelling machines. Tickets that have to be cancelled will have the words "Hier entwerten", cancel here, printed on one end.

Since DB is saying an S-Bahn departure that is scheduled to get you there in time, but you may want more time to navigate the main train station. If so, catch the S-Bahn earlier in the day.

There are also numerous Regional Express and Regionalbahn trains running between Alexanderplatz and the Hauptbahnhof. They run nonstop between the two, and you can take one of those as well.

Hi,

Both Berlin Alexanderplatz and Hbf. are major junction points, ie, extended, huge stations. As pointed out above, any S-Bahn going west will do in getting you to Hbf. Numerous lines head from Alexanderplatz to Hbf. Like Berlin Hbf. Alexanderplatz is an interesting station to explore, swarms of people, much better now and alot less tacky when I first saw it 1997, Still, it has that distinct different feel to it from Bahnhof Zoo, which is almost "deserted." It feels more like Bhf. Friedrichstrasse, another station teeming with people, in some ways.

Adding to what Laura wrote, Berlin Hbf consists of several different levels of tracks, so it wouldn't be a bad idea to arrive a little earlier.

Berlin Hbf has five levels. The middle three levels are shops, etc. Trains come "into the basement" (Tief, tracks 1-8) or "onto the roof" (tracks 11-16). It looks like the S-Bahn only uses the roof station, while local (RB, RE) and express trains (ICE, IC, EC) use either level depending on their origin/destination.

Use the Bahn website to see what tracks your trains use. It looks like from Alexanderplatz, both the S-Bahn and the regional trains come in on the roof, while trains to Wittenburg use the basement tracks, so you will have to use the escalators to go down four levels.

I would give yourself extra time at Berlin Hbf as it's a notoriously confusing station. The high-level tracks are at right angles to the underground tracks, and if you have heavy luggage it can be very difficult to determine which elevator will take you all the way from one platform to another.