FIP coupons Berlin Airport to Berlin Hbf

[47831]

Evening, can anybody confirm if FIP coupons are valid on the trains which operate between Berlin Airport and Berlin Hbf? Service FEX18924 for example. Thanks for your help.

 

[Watershed]

Evening, can anybody confirm if FIP coupons are valid on the trains which operate between Berlin Airport and Berlin Hbf? Service FEX18924 for example. Thanks for your help.

FEX services between Berlin Airport and Hbf are operated by DB Regio AG and so can be used, in principle, using FIP coupons.

However, the RSTL Travel Tips for Europe guide says:

In some areas of Germany a Verkehrsverbund (combined fares structure) is in operation. In many of these Verkehrsverbund areas FIP coupons and FIP reduced rate tickets are not valid if your journey is entirely within the area concerned. There is no official list available to Rail Staff Travel of which Verkehrsverbund areas accept FIP facilities. The ticket offices in the relevant areas will be able to advise.

If you are purely travelling on that service, your journey is entirely within the VBB area (the local Verkehrsverbund, i.e. PTE, for the Berlin area). Whether VBB has a restriction on using FIP facilities for journeys entirely within their area, I do not know. As the guide says, you would have to enquire locally.

However, as there is no requirement to write down what journeys you have done (or intend to make), I can't see how this restriction is really enforceable with coupons. In the extremely unlikely event that you encountered an RPI who knew about any such restriction that might exist in the VBB area, you could simply tell them you're planning on continuing on to Hamburg/Hanover/Dresden etc. after reaching Hbf!

 

[The exile]

FEX services between Berlin Airport and Hbf are operated by DB Regio AG and so can be used, in principle, using FIP coupons.

However, the RSTL Travel Tips for Europe guide says:


If you are purely travelling on that service, your journey is entirely within the VBB area (the local Verkehrsverbund, i.e. PTE, for the Berlin area). Whether VBB has a restriction on using FIP facilities for journeys entirely within their area, I do not know. As the guide says, you would have to enquire locally.

However, as there is no requirement to write down what journeys you have done (or intend to make), I can't see how this restriction is really enforceable with coupons. In the extremely unlikely event that you encountered an RPI who knew about any such restriction that might exist in the VBB area, you could simply tell them you're planning on continuing on to Hamburg/Hanover/Dresden etc. after reaching Hbf!

I suppose it might be difficult to blag boarding a train on a branch line at anywhere other than the junction station and heading to the terminus (Nurnberg Nordost to Graefenberg would be interesting as well) - but that doesn’t apply here!

 

[Watershed]

I suppose it might be difficult to blag boarding a train on a branch line at anywhere other than the junction station and heading to the terminus (Nurnberg Nordost to Graefenberg would be interesting as well) - but that doesn’t apply here!

You could have broken your journey.... There are a million and one explanations you could give. It's a ridiculous restriction though - how can they possibly expect foreign staff to know about the minutae of which line is or isn't entirely within a PTE...?!

 

[The exile]

You could have broken your journey.... There are a million and one explanations you could give. It's a ridiculous restriction though - how can they possibly expect foreign staff to know about the minutae of which line is or isn't entirely within a PTE...?!

In exactly the same way as any non local is expected to have a valid ticket - by taking responsibility for their own actions. (Including by checking the regulations about break of journey)

 

[Watershed]

In exactly the same way as any non local is expected to have a valid ticket - by taking responsibility for their own actions. (Including by checking the regulations about break of journey)

It's a bit different when these restrictions (where they exist) aren't properly documented anywhere. The need to hold a valid ticket is clearly established by signage, and tickets clearly state which zones and duration they're valid for.

There is nothing restricting break of journey on FIP coupons.