4 minute rail transfer in Aschaffenburg Hbf

Can't see this connection on DB site. Most are R'burg>Steinach>Wurzburg>Mainz>Bingen. Some have additional changes at Frankfurt HBF.

If you are going from Rothenburg to Bingen using a regional pass, such as a Quer-durchs-Land-Ticket, you should probably take one of the Regional Express trains from Würzburg all the way to Frankfurt Hbf. You would not need to change trains in Aschaffenburg. In fact, looking at the Aschaffenburg station schedule on the German Rail (Bahn) website, I don't see any trains from Würzburg except the REs. Perhaps you can give us the train number and time arriving in Aschaffenburg. If I use the Bahn schedule webpage and put in Rothenburg at 9:06 to Aschaffenburg, it show using RE 4606 from Würzburg at 11:55, stopping at Aschaffenburg at 12:34 on track 8, but that train goes on to Frankfurt Hbf.

OK, I see (I think) your connection. It's on a Sunday. Other days have different information, ie, the train from Würzburg is 4118, instead of 4610, and your connecting train departs on track 5. Looks like you are planning to stop for 2 hours in Würzburg. RE 4118 arrives from Würzburg at 13:42, no track number given. RB 15720 departs for Mainz at 13:46 on track 7. To see the station schedule, go here, enter "Aschaffenburg Hbf" and the date and time. 4118 would probably come in on track 8, making it a cross platform change, but ICE 720 is using track 8 from 13:34 to 13:36, so they are probably leaving the track number for 4118 open in case the ICE is delayed. What I would do is see what track you come in on. If it is indeed track 8, you'll have 4 minutes to walk across the platform. If it comes in on another track, stay on the train to Frankfurt Hbf and know the schedule from there to Bingen. If you decide in advance to just stay on the RE through Aschaffenburg to Frankfurt Hbf, you will get to Bingen on the same train, but you will have 15 min to get from the ground level track in Frankfurt Hbf to the underground S-Bahn station (the Bahn says you can do it in 10). Are you stopping in Bingen, or are you catching another train from there (Hbf) to somewhere? Or are you going to the Stadt Bhf to catch a boat?

Thanks for all your help. The train that I am looking at is Sunday, October 21 @ 0906 from Rothenburg ob der Tauber (RB 58888) to Bingen, arriving @ 1355 to board the K-D boat to St. Goar at 1430. (This is the last day for these boats for the season). The train goes to Steinach (12 minute transfer) > Wurzburg (18 minute transfer) > ASCHAFFENBURG (4 minute transfer) > Mainz (18 minute transfer) > Bingen. I hope this explains things abit better.

I see your quandary. Due to the time of year and the day of travel, there aren't many options other than that regional train from Aschaffenburg to Mainz. If you can't get to Bingen by 1400, there is still one more K-D boat from Bingen at 16:30 to St Goar at 17:55. BTW, you said you want to get to Bingen at 13:55, but that train gets to Bingen-Gaulsheim at 13:55. It gets to Bingen Stadt, near the K-D dock, at 13:58. Don't get off one station early. If the train from Würzburg comes into the Aschaffenburg station on track 8, it's just a cross platform change; 4 min is plenty of time if you are ready to get off the train when it stops. If you miss that connection, you can wait two hours and take the 13:46 RB to Mainz and get to Bingen Stadt at 16:01 for the 16:30 boat. Or, you can leave Aschaffenburg at 12:43 on RE 4608, change in Hanau for the S-Bahn to Mainz (14:25), and arrive at Bingen at 14:58 with an hour and a half to make the last boat (16:30) to St Goar. And, in Mainz, your train to Bingen leaves on track 11. That track is not somewhere out beyond track 8, it's across the platform from track 1. It dead ends against the side of the station building.

Another option is to just spring for the extra $ and take the ICE out of Wurzburg. 19 EU advance puchase and you get to Bingen at 13:03 with only one 11 min change at Frankfurt Hbf.

Thank-you both for all your help.

The problem with Sam's suggestion of the connection using the ICE from Würzburg is that it also includes an IC from Frankfurt Hbf to Bingen Hbf (not Bingen Stadt, only regional trains stop at Bingen Stadt, which is close to the K-D dock. If you take that IC to Bingen Hbf, there is a bus at 13:38 from the Hbf to the Stadt Bhf (13:48). There is also a regional train (MRB) from the Hbf (13:52) to Stadt (13:54). Or, you can just change the destination to "Bingen(Rhein) Stadt". That will route you by IC from Würzburg to Mainz and MRB from there to Bingen Stadt (13:00). Note, the 19€ fares are already gone, but you can still get 29€ for one person (49€ for two).