We will be traveling from Lake Como to Mannheim in September. I can't get prcing that far out so I'm using the same weekday in August. I'm looking at a 9:45 AM departure on EC14 with one change in Zurich and arriving in Mannhaim at 16:37. There seems to be three ticket prices 127 for 2nd class ed train, 209 1st class ed train and 289 2nd class full flexible. I am assuming that the 289 2nd class full flexible would let me change to a differect train should I miss a connection. Is that correct? What happens with either of the train options if I miss a connect? We will only have 17 minutes in Zurich to go from track 4 to track 12. Is that enough time?
We have been to Europe several times but alway on organized tours. this will be our first experience on our own. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19274 posts
17 minutes should be plenty of time for a four or five platform change in Zurich. Just make sure you are at the end of the car, ready to get off when the train stops. Zurich is a dead-end station (trains come in and go out from the same end). There is a cross platform connecting the track platforms. If you are near the front of the train, you can just walk to the end of the platform and over to the new platform. If you are near the back, there is the usual tunnel. On German Rail, if you have a train specific ticket, and you miss a connection due to the fault of the Bahn (like a late train), they will honor the ticket for the next available train. I tested this myself in 2008 (not on purpose). My train was late and the connecting IC had already left. I went to the ticket counter and they confirmed on their computer that the first train had indeed been late, then put me on the next train (an ICE). I imagine it's something similar on Swiss Rail.