Switching Trains

Why are you not taking the direct ICE train? 7 trains a day, every 2 hours from 6:30 am til 6:30 pm. Ok, the 8:30 train actually goes at 8. Takes 2 3/4 hours.

Don't book that. I am sure there is a direct train because I took it before. What day?

How much is a direct train? We are trying to keep the cost low. We're traveling on October 8.

This is reasonable price
Trip

08:05 Amsterdam-Centraal
10:45 Köln Hbf (Cologne, Main Station)
ICE 105
2nd
Passengers

€29.90 1 Adult Sparpreis Europa BeNeLux
Sparpreis Europa BeNeLux: Exchangeable and refundable until the

You are just paying 10 euros more
There is another direct train same price and 10:37 if you are not an early riser
this is the site :
http://www.ns.nl/en

About your original itinerary, at Utrecht Centraal the IC 3029 arrives on track 19, your connecting train will already be sitting there on track 18. That means it will be directly across the platform from you when the door opens. Walk 20 feet and get on. It will only take 30 seconds, but you must be standing at the door with your luggage when the train stops. If you are the one by the door, your job will be to open the door by pushing the button as soon as it turns to green. Others behind you are depending on you.
I have not been to Venlo in 15 years. but it was an old-fashioned border crossing station, where tracks from Holland came to a stop, and you walk down the platform past the gap in the tracks to the waiting German train. Timing looks like it is still the same. Your IC 3529 terminates there and ERB 20077 originates there.
You arrive in Duesseldorf Hbf on track 7, but they have not assigned the track for your connecting train. Again, you will need to be standing by the door when the train pulls into the station and ready to exit and check the board as to which track the ICE is coming in on and then downstairs to the cross over tunnel and up the steps at the right platform. That train will arrive at 12:14 and be in the station for 2 minutes, long enough for people to get off and the waiting passengers like you to get on.

Consider what has happened to most of us when we book trains with connections: If the one is late arriving and the other one leaves then it makes for a long day trying to get somewhere; so it makes sense to just spend 10 euros more. The longer you wait the higher the price for the direct

Hi,

The train change with only 2 mins time I would suspect that your transfer train is arriving on the opposite side of the same platform where you arrived two minutes earlier. I'm basing my assumption on similar situations in Austria and Germany, when the transfer time allowed is 2-3 minutes with the announcements alerting you to that are given in English, German (Dem Bahnsteig gegenüber) prior to your train pulling in.

I am familiar with the route Venlo to Düsseldorf, at least its summer schedule since that is the time I've taken this route. Going in the opposite direction from your route Venlo is the terminus. Since you're riding Venlo to Düsseldorf, don't be surprised when the train gets to Mönchengladbach, people board, then it just sits there, maybe 10-12 mins.

I would not take this route with 4 transfers Amsterdam to Düsseldorf. I would go Amsterdam to Duisburg, then take the ICE Duisburg Hbf to Düsseldorf Hbf.

Thanks everyone! This has been really helpful! I'm gonna go ahead and book the direct train since it's only 10 euros more and would save a lot of headache

I would book the direct route, 10 Euros is no big deal. I booked the discount ticket Frankfurt to Paris 1st class TGV in July thinking that the difference of 10 Euro between 1st and 2nd class would be less crowded, quieter, etc. No such luck. The 1st class almost packed , ca. 95% and not quiet either. Parents with their kids had reserved also in 1st class. My mistake was this ride was on a Sat.