German ticket routeings

[Muzer]

This is relatively time sensitive so any replies Jn the next few days would be very much appreciated indeed.

We've just bought a ticket that we intend to use over the next five days for a journey from Copenhagen to Cologne from DB.

We would like to know which routes we can use. We're already on our way to Lübeck so I'll skip the first part. The rest of the routeing is:

HL*(H*BI*HA/HH*HB*MS*DU)

Where can we go? I can't figure out most of these station codes. I guess HL is Lübeck and H is Hamburg but what about the others?

 

[gordonthemoron]

I'd say it is:

Hamburg-Bielefeld-Hannover/HamburgHarburg-Bremen-Munster-Dusseldorf

 

[30907]

Not quite. It goes by the same abbreviations as car number plates.

H is Hannover, HA Hagen, HH Hansestadt Bremen, HH Hansestadt Hamburg and DU Duisburg.

So you can use the direct route via Osnabrück including all the variations through the Ruhr after MS Münster.
Or you can go down to Hannover, across via BI Bielefeld and via Wuppertal.
And you can use any reasonable route within that geographical envelope but not outside it. Provided you are heading in roughly the right direction you will be fine.

So you can do the Heidebahn from Harburg to Hannover, for example, but not go from Hannover to Hagen via Hameln and Paderborn. The way to check is to do a test booking with a via point on the doubtful route.

I'm guessing you have a Europa Spezial Dänemark and have specified Regional trains only for Lübeck or Hamburg onwards? As well as extended validity, I've found that they are very generous in terms of permitted routes.

 

[DEE-DE]

I think it's Lübeck*(Hannover*Bielefeld*Hagen/Hamburg*Bremen*Münster*Duisburg)
This is looking at vehicle number plates which are usually used as codes, and also looking at a map.
@gordonthemoron Your first part doesn't seem likely looking at the map, as you'd be doubling back to get from Bielefeld to Hannover. It is slightly confusing I have to agree that former members of the Hanse start with an H in their code, Bremen HB, Lübeck HL and Hamburg HH.
So I think OP can use any routes between the two limiting routes in brackets.

 

[Muzer]

I'm guessing you have a Europa Spezial Dänemark and have specified Regional trains only for Lübeck or Hamburg onwards? As well as extended validity, I've found that they are very generous in terms of permitted routes.

Not that I'm aware of at least, we just got Normalpreis. It still worked out a little cheaper than Interrail in theory at least

 

[30907]

Not that I'm aware of at least, we just got Normalpreis. It still worked out a little cheaper than Interrail in theory at least

Even better then! Enjoy exploring. Celle and Bremen are both nice, and Soltau station is worth seeing.

 

[Groningen]

The only tunnel (581 meters) between Cologne and Copenhagen is at Lengerich (52.189722, 7.8525). There are some between Liege and Dueren. Speed behind Muenster and Dortmund (via Hannover) to Hamburg Harburg is often 125 miles an hour. The route via Hannover is nice of that you travel through a "mountain" range where the river Weser has made a path at Porta Westfalica (52.216667, 8.933333).

The solution should be easy; do the return not on the route you went in the other direction. The route with 2 faces is Muenster to Osnabrueck. First 125 miles till Lengerich and than come the curves till Osnabrueck, when speed is greatly reduced with 2 90 degrees curves to the left and shortly later to the right in Lengerich.

 

[Muzer]

The only tunnel (581 meters) between Cologne and Copenhagen is at Lengerich (52.189722, 7.8525). There are some between Liege and Dueren. Speed behind Muenster and Dortmund (via Hannover) to Hamburg Harburg is often 125 miles an hour. The route via Hannover is nice of that you travel through a "mountain" range where the river Weser has made a path at Porta Westfalica (52.216667, 8.933333).

The solution should be easy; do the return not on the route you went in the other direction. The route with 2 faces is Muenster to Osnabrueck. First 125 miles till Lengerich and than come the curves till Osnabrueck, when speed is greatly reduced with 2 90 degrees curves to the left and shortly later to the right in Lengerich.

We're not returning! To give a little context, I'm on holiday with my dad and brother (who is rather interested in history), touring a part of Europe in a week — this has become a sort of tradition, since we did one last year and the year before.

This year we flew to Copenhagen (which is where I was born — my parents were living in Denmark for a few years for work-related reasons) and we're making our way to Lille to catch the Eurostar (which is something I requested since I haven't done Eurostar before as far as I remember). My brother is interested in history so we'll be spending a day exploring the site of the Battle of the Bulge. The rest of the time we've been spending doing various things around the cities involved. Obviously I have to balance my rail enthusiast needs with my family's!

I did, however, thoroughly enjoy the train ferry. I'd recommend that, though perhaps go in the off season when it won't be as busy as it was today...


Thanks very much for all the help you've provided; I forgot to mention that before. It's been very useful for determining what we can and can't do with our ticket! We'll probably spend Wednesday making our way south, stopping for a couple of hours at a couple of the bigger/more historically interesting cities, I expect. After we get to Cologne I suspect we'll try to make our way to Libramont where there are buses to Bastogne which is the bit my brother is interested in. Then we'll be heading to Ypres on the final day, before making our way to Lille.

 

[30907]

On the basis of that, Celle, Bremen and Münster are historically interesting, and would get you the relatively scenic bit through Lengerich that Groningen has mentioned, but you'd be doubling back Soltau-Celle-Soltau.
I'vé not been to Münster. Celle is lovely but the station is a fair walk from the centre.

 

[Groningen]

Battle of the Bulge

That than will be the Bastogne-area.

-178 + -208 + 238 + 106 = -42

The minus are the kilometers from Hamburg via Hannover to Dortmund. The other 2 are the kilometers via Osnabrueck. So you get 42 kilometers more for the same amount (of your trainticket). The choice is up to you.

Hamburg - Dortmund is 2 hours and 52 minutes. Hamburg - Hannover is 1 and 14 (ICE) to 1 and 30 (IC). Hannover - Dortmund is 1 hour and 38 minutes. So purely traveltime is the same; only difference is the amount of time to change trains in Hannover.

For Bastogne:
There is a busnumber 537 to Wiltz and Ettelbruck (Luxembourg) where you can take the train and visit the whole country for a daypass for 4 euro.

Bus Bastogne: http://www.mobiliteit.lu/sites/default/files/horaires/rgtr/537.pdf?v85

Dayticket train Luxembourg: http://www.cfl.lu/espaces/voyageurs...lets-au-luxembourg/dagesbilljee-(longue-durée)