I bought train tickets from Munich to Innsbruck on OBB. I bought the tickets departing from Munich Hauptbahnhof, but it turns out that it may be more convenient to leave from Munich Ost, the train's first stop. Is there a problem getting on the train at the 1st stop rather than the departure place?
(On a plane, if you miss the 1st leg, the whole itinerary is cancelled. Is there any flagging with train reservations?)
Thanks,
Nadine
Do you have reserved seats? If so they will be blocked starting at Munich HB so they should still be available at Ost.
I went in the other direction (Salzburg to Munich) and the ticket seller tried to explain to me that to get to the airport it made more sense to transfer at Ost, but it didn't sink in until I was halfway to Germany.
At least on German ICE trains, a light over the seat indicates that the seat is reserved and between what stations. The light goes out 5 minutes after the train departs the station where the reservation begins. So if you are not in your seat 5 minutes after departure, it is anybody's seat. I don't know if Railjet works the same way, but Munich Ost is 10 minutes after departure from Munich Hbf.
I doubt that the conductor will even begin making his rounds until after the train departs Munich Ost. Your ticket will still be valid on the train.
Good to know the starting point won't be an issue. I do have reserved seats and you're right, it's a waste of time for the conductor to check tickets before Munchen Ost. Thanks!
The light goes out 5 minutes after the train departs the station where the reservation begins. So if you are not in your seat 5 minutes after departure, it is anybody's seat. I don't know if Railjet works the same way
The light goes out after 15 minutes. Otherwise, the crowd of clueless people who boarded at the wrong end could not arrive at their seats in time. The rule applies regardless of who owns the train, because it's the rules of the operator that apply, and up to Salzburg this is DB (analogously, the rules of ÖBB apply on a DB ICE travelling within Austria).
(BTW, if you use the so-called “Comfort Check in” on the DB app, the seat iwill be displayed as reserved for the entire booked route.)
Thanks for the tip.
Thanks sla019. I knew it was some time limit, but could not remember exactly and searching the DB site was no help finding a precise answer.
Here you go. Apparently DB has spared itself the trouble of translating this little detail into English:
Reservierte Plätze: Anrecht hat der Gast, der die Reservierung besitzt, wenn er den Sitzplatz innerhalb von 15 Minuten nach Abfahrt einnimmt. Danach verfällt der Anspruch (https://www.bahn.de/faq/anspruch-auf-sitzplatz)
Google translator says this bureaucratic prose means in English:
Reserved seats: The guest holding the reservation is entitled to a seat if he/she occupies the seat within 15 minutes of departure. After that, the entitlement expires.
I love this forum. You all are so helpful.
(BTW, if you use the so-called “Comfort Check in” on the DB app, the
seat iwill be displayed as reserved for the entire booked route.)
And you can actually change your seat if you do a comfort check in, and your new seat will then display that it is taken, and your old seat will be released. So please do that if you choose to travel in another seat than the one you originally booked.
I booked via the OBB web page. Can I access it on the DB app?
