DB international compulsory reservations June 2024

[nwales58]

Just noticed this looking at times to the Alps for the summer. Last year the Amsterdam ICEs had compulsory reservations but this year it is rather wider.

From 01/06/24 Brussels ICEs have compulsory reservations Aachen-Liége, but also Wien (Passau-Wels), München-Zürich (Lindau-Bregenz), Copenhagen (Schleswig-Padborg) - were any of those last summer too?

Reservations are compulsory for the border crossing only, so enforcement will be exciting.

 

[rvdborgt]

DB have this in the coming summer (1/6-1/9) for many of their long distance international trains, except for the trains to Basel. Their excuse is the European football championship in Germany, despite the fact that that only lasts for 1 month. Mandatory is indeed often only the cross-border section; in the Netherlands the whole Dutch section though, which will be interesting because some of the trains to/from Berlin also serve as domestic IC trains. Enforcement will also be interesting where the tariff border point is in a station, as e.g. in Passau. DB say mandatory reservations Passau-Linz, ÖBB say mandatory reservations Plattling-Passau. So... in Germany, the DB staff shouldn't have any objections if you don't have a reservation and in Austria the ÖBB staff shouldn't object either...

 

[nwales58]

DB say mandatory reservations Passau-Linz, ÖBB say mandatory reservations Plattling-Passau. So... in Germany, the DB staff shouldn't have any objections if you don't have a reservation and in Austria the ÖBB staff shouldn't object either...

So designed for a sendup on a comedy programme.

I wonder, will DB make all seats reservable on these, or as usual keep many non-reservable for walk-up passengers on the non-compulsory stretches? If so, there will be empty seats across the border which cannot be used.

This is going to turn up on Extra 3 or the Heute-show before long!

 

[DanielB]

in the Netherlands the whole Dutch section though, which will be interesting because some of the trains to/from Berlin also serve as domestic IC trains.

With the confusing addition that journeys within the Netherlands show up as "Reservation compulsary", however it's impossible to reserve a seat for a domestic journey.

 

[rvdborgt]

With the confusing addition that journeys within the Netherlands show up as "Reservation compulsary", however it's impossible to reserve a seat for a domestic journey.

Towards Amsterdam, it's just "Do not board"... or at least that's what they do for Eurostar and ICE. I wouldn't be surprised if they'll also do that for Berlin-Amsterdam.

 

[DanielB]

Towards Amsterdam, it's just "Do not board"... or at least that's what they do for Eurostar and ICE.

No I mean what's shown in the journey planner. Even the domestic NS planner already shows a message "Reservation compulsory" for trips with the Berlin - Amsterdam IC within the Netherlands.
However no clue how you should make reservations: NS International says "book at NS", DB shows "Train currently not open for reservations" and OeBB never had the option to reserve an IC Berlin (they do sell ICE reservations within the Netherlands however)

 

[rvdborgt]

No I mean what's shown in the journey planner. Even the domestic NS planner already shows a message "Reservation compulsory" for trips with the Berlin - Amsterdam IC within the Netherlands.
However no clue how you should make reservations: NS International says "book at NS", DB shows "Train currently not open for reservations" and OeBB never had the option to reserve an IC Berlin (they do sell ICE reservations within the Netherlands however)

Right... this is just NS' own fault. They're the operator and they entered this timetable data, including where reservations are compulsory. It doesn't help that they don't like domestic passengers using the international trains and all of this is just part of their determent policy to keep those pesky domestic passengers away.

 

[DanNCL]

From 01/06/24 Brussels ICEs have compulsory reservations Aachen-Liége, but also Wien (Passau-Wels), München-Zürich (Lindau-Bregenz), Copenhagen (Schleswig-Padborg) - were any of those last summer too?

Reservations are compulsory for the border crossing only, so enforcement will be exciting.

Brussels/Liege and Wien are the only two of those that are actually ICEs. The other two are EC services. ECs are compulsory reservation already in Hungary and Poland so not unprecedented for those to be compulsory reservation.

DB say mandatory reservations Passau-Linz, ÖBB say mandatory reservations Plattling-Passau. So... in Germany, the DB staff shouldn't have any objections if you don't have a reservation and in Austria the ÖBB staff shouldn't object either...

Presumably also the case for Munich-Zurich? They briefly enter Austria too at Bregenz.

 

[rvdborgt]

Presumably also the case for Munich-Zurich? They briefly enter Austria too at Bregenz.

Correct. You can see that on bahn.com (compulsory reservations Lindau-Bregenz) and fahrplan.oebb.at (compulsory reservations Memmingen-Lindau).