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Switch trains in Frankfurt

Posted by (Seattle, WA, US) on

Looking at the DB schedule for our Rothenburg to Bacharach leg. Total travel time is 4:17. On the train that leaves Rothenburg at 11:06 there are 4 train changes. The one in Frankfurt worries me a bit. Arrive in Frankfurt on ICE 228 at 13:40 on track 3. Depart 4 minutes later from track 2 at 13:44 (all other changes are 11 minutes or more) on IC 2026. Is this a problem? I know the track numbers are next to each other (in sequence) but that may not mean anything! Will we have time to get from track 3 to 2? It is my wife and I and only have our RS convertibles but we haven't been to the station before. We plan to buy using the Dauer Spezial (unless someone has a better suggestion!), so the ticket is non-refundable or changeable.

Other options are to take the 13:09 train from Rothenburg which has a 30 minute connection in Frankfurt (shortest is 8 minutes in Steinach), or I put in the DB site the trip and put via Frankfurt with a 20 minute stopover. That adds an hour total to our time as the stop in Frankfurt and Wurzburg are both approximately 40 minutes. Thanks for any suggestions!

Posted by
19095 posts

Jed, go to www.rmv.de. Click on "Service" > "BarriereFreies Reisen" > "Stationspläne" > "Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof" or just go to www.rmv.de/coremedia/generator/PDF/Stationspl_C3_A4ne/Frankfurt-Hauptbahnhof,property=data.pdf. There you will see a plan of the Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof, and you will see that track (Gleis) 2 and 3 are across a platform from each other. You get off the train on track 3 and walk across the platform to track 2. Simple.

If your train is a few minutes late, they should hold the connecting train, and the conductor is not going to release his train if people are coming across the platform to get on. However, when you know you are coming into the Hauptbahnhof, you should get up and go to the end of the car, so you can get off when the train stops.

Posted by
504 posts

Thanks Lee! I'll take a look at those two links. If for some reason we do miss the train (it's late, for instance) since the Dauer Spezial is non-refundable and non-changeable, we'd have to buy new tickets wouldn't we? Or would they accommodate us since the train was late? I'm sure it would be different if it was our fault!

Posted by
504 posts

Lee-Checked out the map and it does look pretty simple. I was fooling around with different options (such as putting in via Frankfurt with a 20 min stopover) and it would add an hour+ to our trip.

Unless you have a different suggestion, we'll book the Dauer Spezial for 58 euros total for 2. Not sure if the travel in this zone is eligible for a Lander or other ticket (we're traveling on a Tuesday), but would appreciate any other ticketing suggestions. Looked and saw by regional train it's an hour longer to get to Bacharach, but interestingly, you would take the S-8 from Frankfurt to Mainz (assuming it's a type of subway?).

Thanks again for the map link! I think we should be able to walk the 30 or so feet across the platform in four minutes....I hope!!

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