Greetings - tomorrow we leave Colmar - headed to Munich. We'll first go to Strasbourg and then on to Stuttgart. We will have 8 minutes to transfer trains in Stuttgart. Arrive track 7 and Départ on track 16. Can anyone familiar with the station offer any guidance.
Thanks so much.
If the DB website gives you these train times, then it is doable.
Stuttgart is a terminus station and all the main line platforms are parallel, you just walk to the front of your train, a few metres to platform 16, then along the train to your carriage. Click here for a plan of the station.
If the incoming train is late they usually hold the outgoing train for a few minutes. In the unlikely event it is delayed longer than that you get a free transfer onto the next train going in your direction.
To give yourself the full 8 minutes, which should be plenty of time, try not to be at the end of the line exiting the train. You can be waiting at the door with your luggage before the train stops. Unless you bought a train-specific advance-discount ticket, then you could also take the next train from Stuttgart to Munich, a half hour later.
The top photo on this page is a walking map of the station which shows the dead end platforms. As you can see if you go to the front of your incoming train and turn left you will pass the ends of the intermediate platforms until you get to your platform 16, turn left and you are there.
Good luck...
Thanks so very much. I knew you would help us. It is such a great feeling knowing you're out there. I tried finding those station diagrams online - with no luck.
Thanks again!
Hi Sue,
I've been to that train station, and you should have no problems. It's a series of lines in one long area.
Enjoy your trip!
The trains to Munich aren't exactly a half hour apart. There are two an hour, but not spaced evenly. If you are coming in on the TGV and leaving on the ICE, the next train to Munich (probably an IC or EC, not an ICE) is about 45 minutes after the ICE.
If you do have a non-transferable Savings Fare ticket, and you miss your connection, go to the ticket counter in the Bahnhof and show him your ticket. If you did miss the connection because the TGV arrived late (not because you walked too slow), he'll change the ticket to the next available train, either the EC 45 minutes later or, since your original ticket was for the ICE, maybe the ICE an hour later.
Fortunately, since this is the last stop for the TGV, you won't have to fight through a crowd of people trying to get on the train while you are getting off.
Just letting you know we followed your advice - started gathering everything to be prepared to hop off the train - ready to hit the ground running. Then came the announcement that our train departing Stuttgart for Munich was departing 15 minutes late. Oh well, at least we were ready
