Confuse with Railroad system in Germany

Bacharach is a pretty minor station on that route. Mostly, only the Regional Bahn trains (RB or milk runs) stop there, and they don't usually come all the way to FRA. You will probably have to take the S-Bahn to Mainz and a Regional Bahn to Bacharch or a Regional Express to Bingen and a Regional Bahn from there to Bacharach.

Bacharach is actually in the RNN (Rhein-Nahe Nahverkehr), but in a part that is a transition area (Übergangsbereich) for the Frankfurt metro area (RMV=Rhein-Main Verkehrsverbund). Therefore RMV automats at FRA (Regionalbf) will sell tickets to Bacharach (€10,30), or you can buy one at a ticket counter.

You can find schedules on the German Rail website, but you'll only get fares at the RMV website.

Note that most Regional Bahn trains from Mainz leave on track 11, which is a stub track next to track 1 (to the right of track 1 as you look out of the station to the NW).

There are two stations in Bingen, the Stadt Bahnhof, nearest to Mainz, and the Haubtbahnhof. If you pick a connection that changes in Bingen Hauptbahnhof, the station building is on an island between six tracks. 101-103 are on the river, north, side (right side as you are going towards Bacharach) of the station island, 201-203 are on the opposite side of the island.

Mittelrheinbahn trains are just RBs operated by a private company under the privitazation policy of the Bahn.

First, Using the DB site is not hard, with a bit of patience it is very easy. And the those machines...the Fahrkartenautomaten... with the technology nowadays, it still may be daunting only at first. Whether you do it in German or English to buy your ticket, it is also not hard and confusing.

Over thirty years ago those ticket machines for the S and U Bahnen didn't even have the instructions in English.

Jo writes, "If you only go to the Deutsche Bahn website, ...they do NOT show you the S-bahns and U-bahns. Their schedule will have you taking regional or ICE trains from Mainz to the Frankfurt Airport."

The DB site DOES provide ALL connections between FRA and Bacharach if you know how to use the site and choose to stipulate specific transport options, like the S-Bahn options. It will otherwise provide you with the fastest default connections - which are more expensive.

"Seriously Steve, the information you give sometimes is NOT correct..."

I'm having trouble finding the inaccuracies in Steve's post. He didn't tell Glenn to buy his tickets at the DB site or not to go to the RMV site.

What is confusing for visitors about German trains is the Byzantine travel system, not Steve's post. There have been hundreds and hundreds of questions on this board about it. Lee does indeed give excellent train travel advice. Thanks, Lee! But that's because he has studied it like an Einstein or a Galileo and understands stuff like "Überganszonen".

The truth is that even with Lee's great tips, as soon as layman train traveler Glenn confronts the RMV ticket machines at FRA, with their codes and symbols, he's likely to be confused. When he tries to figure out station names or ticket pricing at the RMV site or the DB site on his own, he's going to be confused.

The DB site isn't easy. Even Jo seems confused about it. She's probably not. It's just that it's very complex and hard to even discuss accurately. It requires either heavy hands-on training or extensive fumbling about until you learn how to use it.

The DB site, Glenn, will provide you with all the connections, like Steve says - if you can figure it out. So will the RMV site - if you can figure it out - along with prices - if you can figure them out.

Lee, why is it that you don't post a link to your webpages in your posts? This would really help people like Glenn.

I prefer to use the German Rail Query Page, for which I provided a link in my first post on this thread. Bahn.de will get you there eventually, but you'll go through a couple of extra steps to get there, and it does not show you all the options. The Query Page allows you to select various options such as Mode of transport, "Local Transport Only". This will show you the regional train connections. "All" will tend to favor the express trains (ICE/IC/EC) from the airport, particularly if you leave "prefer fast connections" checked. The express trains leave from the more distant Fernbahnhof and are also more expensive.

Bahn.de does not offer online ticket sales (or show prices) for travel entirely within a single Verkehrsverbund (transit district), but there are no discounts for online purchase, and the tickets are readily purchasable from the automats, so it really doesn't matter.

To see how to purchase from an automat, see my webpage. RMV automats will be substantially like the regional automat shown at the bottom of the page. First, find the number of your destination on the shield at the left. Bacharach, I think, is 6990. Then press the button marked Einzelfahrshein or Einfach Fahrt (may get to use your dictionary here) under the adult symbol on the column of buttons to the middle right. Input the number on the keypad and it will show you the price. Most regional and Verkehrverbund automats take only cash. If you want to add a second person, press the red '+' button and the ticket type and desination code again.

You don't have to take the S-Bahn to Mainz. Depending on when you leave, the fastest connection might be the RE to Bingen and the (M)RB to Bacharach. The RE makes fewer stops and will take less time. The same ticket will cover you either way.

You can purchase tickets from the RMV only as far as Bacharach. The Übergangstarifgebiet that RMV shares with RNN ends there. For travel to Oberwesel, St Goar or beyond, the Bahn sells the tickets. You can buy them online. I didn't see any regional Bahn automats in the Regionalbahnhof at the airport. You probably have to use the more complicated touchscreen automat (or the ticket counter).

I have deleted my post.

Actually, the RMV and the DB machines are easy to use if you just follow the directions of folks like Lee. They switch to English and if you do what it says, you get your ticket. The RMV website is also very easy to use. I found it much easier than lets say the Berlin website. The Deutsche Bahn websit is also not that hard to figure out, except they neglegt to post information about the special tickets, like Laender tickets, Happy Weekend tickets and Quer durch Deutschland tickets in English. Then info from people like Lee or Andreas becomes invaluable.

Jo writes, "...the RMV and the DB machines are easy to use if you just follow the directions of folks like Lee. They switch to English..."

DB machines have always had a helpful English interface. The last time I saw an RMV-Automat or any other Verkehrsverbund ticket machine, there was no English-language option.

I've helped several American and Canadian travelers on platforms, including summer '08, who were standing in front of these machines with puzzled looks while their train approached. Have the DB-style touch-screens with English option now been installed in all the RMV-Automaten, the VRM (Rhein-Mosel) and other machines? If so, it's a major breakthrough for international travelers.

All of the new red/white/blue touch screen Bahn automats can display in multiple languages, at least everyone I have seen.

The older regional (Nahverkehr) automats have a flag button to the left of the coin slot (shown but not labeled on my webpage). I don't usually use it because 1) I can read German, and 2) I've done it so many times I don't need to read, but it's supposed to change the display language. The one time I tried it, it didn't do anything.

According to the picture of an automat on the RMV website, there is a language button, but whether or not it works ...?

Jo, the Bahn schedule webpage WILL display specials like Länder- and Schönes-Wochenende-Tickets, IF you select the "only local transport" option. I think Quer-durchs-Land has been discontinued as of today.

The DB website posts the info about the Laender tickets, but the last time I checked, only in German. I meant to write that in my post, but got to typing too fast. Sorry,
Jo

Thank you for all you assistance. We will again check the websites and get the information. It makes more sense now how it has been explained. We are planning our trip in May 2010 I will post how it went.

Jo, Länder-Ticket info "auf Englisch".

However, purchasing of Länder-Tickets online (Bahn Shop) is only in German.

okey dokey. Hadn't checked that for a while and you used to not be able to find this in English. So, I am gonna grab my coat and exit stage left.
G'night!

I have some pages on my website, starting here, that might help explain the German Rail schedule site.

My entire website is at www.germantravel-info.com.

RE the Quer-Durchs-Land ticket, it is still being offered on the Deutsche Bahn website, but not in English. The Länder and Schönes-Wochenende Tickets still appear in English, though. However, if the itinerary you choose happens to fall within the Q-D-L's parameters, it will appear as an option when buying (even in English). This can be the best bargain for travel crossing provincial borders, especially with more than 1 person.

The QdLT (Quer-durchs-Land-Ticket was discontinued a year ago, when I said it was, but it has been reintroduced this year with a new, somewhat different fare structure. It is still valid for HO-HO travel on regional trains on weekdays all across Germany, but it is now €42 for the first traveler and another €6 for each cotraveler, ergo €48 for two, €54 for three, €60 for four, €66 for five.

Yes, you can buy the ticket at the airport. I took a Rick Steves tour a few years ago and had to buy a train ticket from FRA to another town near Bacharach. Even with my knowledge of German, the ticketing machine was very confusing (the one I chose had no English option). I had planned everything out on the DB web site, but could not get the ticket machine to cooperate. I ended up buying my ticket from a manned booth with a very helpful person. It cost me a 5 euro service charge, but I actually got a more efficient and quicker route than I had planned out on the web page. And I knew I got the ticket to the correct location.

Mark, what was the name of the town? Every red/white/blue Bahn (Fernverkehr) ticket machine I have ever tested would display in English. It gives you a choice of routes and class of train. On the other hand, the blue/white regional (Nahverkehr, you were using an RMV version at FRA) automats are supposed to display in English, but I have never found one that did. Anyway, the Nahverkehr automats only give you point to point tickets, the trains and routes are up to you (although you must pay for a surcharge - another button - if you plan to use an express train). But, according to the Bahn website, the only time where a surcharge for personal service applies is to a Sparpreis ticket (€5), which requires at least three days advance purchase, or a Länder-Ticket. (But I have to admit, I haven't used a ticket counter in years.) On the Bahn website, you can change the class of train and the routing by deselecting "prefer fast connections", specifying a stopover, or by changing the "means of transport" (to only local, for instance).