One connection I searched on the DB site turned up an OSB (Ortenau-S-Bahn GmbH) train with no ticket prices listed. Are these routes as reliable and timely as other parts of the system ? Are they covered by the rail passes ?
Posted by
Frankfurt am Main, Germany
2779 posts
Bill, as you already found out it is a private company running certain routes in the greater Black Forrest area. Their reliability is as good as the rest of the system but keep in mind they use smaller Diesel electric train sets which are a bit more noisy and less comfortable than other regional trains. Also even though they use the term "S-Bahn" for marketing purposes their trains actually operate as regular regional trains. Here's their English language schedule and fares inquiry: http://www.efa-bw.de/nvbw/XSLT_TRIP_REQUEST2?language=en
Posted by
OP
Raleigh, NC
100 posts
Andreas- thank you.
The particular segment I was interested in was Offenburg- Schiltach, only 30 kms or so.
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19274 posts
I found Offenburg to Schiltach on the DB website with a fare of €8,10 shown. Were you using exactly that, Offenburg to Schiltach, or were you combining it with something else, like a bus from Strasbourg? Also, some bus connections from Offenburg to Schiltach might not show fares.
Posted by
OP
Raleigh, NC
100 posts
Hi Lee- it was a schedule query I input on DB: Bacharach to Schiltach. Since I havent decided on passes or PTP tickets etc for Germany I was trying to understand if OSB fares were covered.
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19274 posts
I still got fares for Bacharach to Schiltach. Are you possibly putting in a date too far in advance?
I really believe OSB is covered. Although it MIGHT be a private company (I am not sure if it is not actually a part of the transit district of Ortenau), those are German Rail tracks, and usually, a private company contracting to run scheduled trains on German Rail tracks has to accept all DB tickets.
I know that I traveled from Schiltach to Offenburg with a rail pass in Sept. 2000. But that train might not have been an OSB train in 2000.
If you can justify the base price (first 4 days) of the German rail pass at $93/day, then the trip from Bacharach to Schiltach could be less with an additional day rather than by P2P. However, if the railpass is not otherwise justified, you could travel from Bacharach to Schiltach for €36 ($58) by using a Rheinland-Pfalz-Ticket (single) to Mannheim or Karsruhe, and a Baden-Württemberg-Ticket (single) to Schiltach.