DB ICE Issue

[FlybeDash8Q400]

Hoping someone can help with this one.

I am travelling to Germany next month. My flight back was rescheduled to a useless 2 days earlier with no alternative, so I have opted to take a refund and get the train back on 9th June.

I have the Eurostar booked from Brussels to London already for 2 people.

However, I am trying to get from where I am staying in Essen to Brussels and this has proven to be almost impossible. I am going to use a Deutschland Ticket for my local trains as I will be visiting Cologne and Dortmund, among others.

My plan was to get an RE service using my Deutschland ticket from Essen to Cologne and pick up ICE1112 from Cologne to Brussels (10:40 departure). This is priced very reasonably, but when I try to buy this on DB’s website or the DB Navigator app, it doesn’t work at all. I just get met with a booking error. At no point have I been met with a rejected payment, it has just maintained this booking error.

Clearly something is wrong, but what? I am hoping someone can help please. This is my first time travelling my rail in the continent so I am probably making a rookie error to begin with. I am young enough to be eligible for Young Person discount but even when I take this out, it makes no difference at all. The same booking error pops up.

DB is charging significantly less than SNCB and Trainline, yes I know that doesn’t sound right at all. Eurostar do a couple of direct Essen to Brussels trains daily but these trains are incredibly expensive.

I’m hoping someone can tell me where I am (or something else is) going wrong. Thanks.

 

[in_luzern]

What date are you looking at, and at what point do you get the error? I tried a couple of random dates in June using my DB account on the bahn.de website, and was able to work all the way through the process until the final booking confirmation (which I didn't do for obvious reasons).

 

[FlybeDash8Q400]

The error only appears after you attempt to pay by pressing buy now.

The whole selection process works absolutely fine, right down to seat selections etc. It’s effectively the last bit it goes wrong.

9th June is my return date.

 

[30907]

Does the problem affect other ICEs on that route? Other ICEs generally?

 

[FlybeDash8Q400]

Does the problem affect other ICEs on that route? Other ICEs generally?

I’m not sure. I haven’t dare tried another incase it worked. It’s only the last bit remember. It fully works, just doesn’t work at the last hurdle.

So I could pick any train I wanted, but the only way to test it would be to actually buy it. That’s where the issue is as it’s the very last thing that’s broken.

 

[Fragezeichnen]

The error only appears after you attempt to pay by pressing buy now.

The whole selection process works absolutely fine, right down to seat selections etc. It’s effectively the last bit it goes wrong.

9th June is my return date.

Your mention of "seat selections" raises question marks to me.

For all it's good points, DB's booking engine doesn't handle reservation failures all that well, and if in the final step when it has to obtain a binding allocation of the seat you chose it will commonly simply show "booking error" if the allocation request fails.

I would suggest first removing any prescriptions you have made regarding a specific seat or a specific type of seat.

If that doesn't work, try booking a ticket with no seat reservation and seeing if that works, then booking the reservation later.
You have nothing to lose - a seat reservation is not compulsory, costs no more to buy separately, and if you can't get one and don't want to travel without guaranteed seats you can cancel your ticket for free within 3 hours even if it is a non-flexible.

 

[FlybeDash8Q400]

Your mention of "seat selections" raises question marks to me.

For all it's good points, DB's booking engine doesn't handle reservation failures all that well, and if in the final step when it has to obtain a binding allocation of the seat you chose it will commonly simply show "booking error" if the allocation request fails.

I would suggest first removing any prescriptions you have made regarding a specific seat or a specific type of seat.

If that doesn't work, try booking a ticket with no seat reservation and seeing if that works, then booking the reservation later.
You have nothing to lose - a seat reservation is not compulsory, costs no more to buy separately, and if you can't get one and don't want to travel without guaranteed seats you can cancel your ticket for free within 3 hours even if it is a non-flexible.

I had already tried this as well. No reservations as well as different fare types. I will say this train appears to be the cheapest train at that time of the day and is significantly cheaper than all the other trains close to it.

Every time you press Buy Now it just comes up with an internal error after.

 

[Fragezeichnen]

I can only suggest then that the train is blocked from booking for some reason, perhaps because they aren't sure if it will run or not.

 

[FlybeDash8Q400]

I can only suggest then that the train is blocked from booking for some reason, perhaps because they aren't sure if it will run or not.

I had considered this. I have sent them a message, in some naive hope I might be able to at least ascertain what’s gone wrong. We give it another go at least!

 

[Golghar]

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 29 May 2026 ==

Click on the "Information for holders of the Deutschland-Ticket" and follow the instructions. Of course this is the desk-top version. And Indicate "Bruxelles Midi as destination, of course.

 

[FlybeDash8Q400]

View attachment 204981View attachment 204981

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 29 May 2026 ==

Click on the "Information for holders of the Deutschland-Ticket" and follow the instructions. Of course this is the desk-top version. And Indicate "Bruxelles Midi as destination, of course.

This didn’t work either.

 

[Spoorslag '70]

If you have enough time and price is a consideration, you could also consider taking German regional trains to Aachen (should be two trains per hour direct from Essen, one via Köln and one via Mönchengladbach), the local S41 train to Welkenraedt and then a domestic Belgian intercity to Brussel. Could be worth taking a look at - the classic line between Aachen and Liege is quite nice.

Have you tried booking the ICE only from Köln? Could be that there is something wrong with through ticketing.

 

[FlybeDash8Q400]

Have you tried booking the ICE only from Köln? Could be that there is something wrong with through ticketing.

I haven’t been trying to buy a through ticket, just Cologne to Brussels.

I did look at the slow route, but the saving was only working out at about €5-10.

 

[Mirjamsterdam]

What error message are you getting? On my end it looks totally possible to book tickets for that train...

 

[FlybeDash8Q400]

What error message are you getting? On my end it looks totally possible to book tickets for that train...

It does on mine as well. After you press buy now, the very very last thing you do, it comes up with Booking Error with code 00E2D2B1.

You pick the train, add reservations (or not), check everything you’ve picked it correct, select Buy Now and then it fails at that point. Not at the start.

 

[MR80]

I have managed to buy a ticket for that train (and cancel it again)

 

[FlybeDash8Q400]

I have managed to buy a ticket for that train (and cancel it again)

I question what I am doing wrong then. Can they lock accounts from purchasing tickets?

 

[MR80]

Maybe it's a problem with your payment card?

 

[rvdborgt]

Delete cookies and cache for bahn.com/bahn.de.
Try an anonymous browser window.
Try the DB Navigator app.

 

[FlybeDash8Q400]

Maybe it's a problem with your payment card?

I’ve tried 3 cards so far and PayPal.

Delete cookies and cache for bahn.com/bahn.de.
Try an anonymous browser window.
Try the DB Navigator app.

Will give this a go, though I have had the same issue in the DB Navigator app so will just try the first two.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 29 May 2026 ==

Unfortunately this also did not work.

I am beginning to think DB has blocked me from buying tickets. I have tried every single thing you guys have asked me, which I appreciate but it just will not work.

 

[U-Bahnfreund]

Are you using Linux by any chance? There have been reports recently that DB is currently blocking Linux users from booking tickets

 

[FlybeDash8Q400]

Are you using Linux by any chance? There have been reports recently that DB is currently blocking Linux users from booking tickets

No.

 

[bbbbbb100]

Hoping someone can help with this one.

I am travelling to Germany next month. My flight back was rescheduled to a useless 2 days earlier with no alternative, so I have opted to take a refund and get the train back on 9th June.

I have the Eurostar booked from Brussels to London already for 2 people.

However, I am trying to get from where I am staying in Essen to Brussels and this has proven to be almost impossible. I am going to use a Deutschland Ticket for my local trains as I will be visiting Cologne and Dortmund, among others.

My plan was to get an RE service using my Deutschland ticket from Essen to Cologne and pick up ICE1112 from Cologne to Brussels (10:40 departure). This is priced very reasonably, but when I try to buy this on DB’s website or the DB Navigator app, it doesn’t work at all. I just get met with a booking error. At no point have I been met with a rejected payment, it has just maintained this booking error.

Clearly something is wrong, but what? I am hoping someone can help please. This is my first time travelling my rail in the continent so I am probably making a rookie error to begin with. I am young enough to be eligible for Young Person discount but even when I take this out, it makes no difference at all. The same booking error pops up.

DB is charging significantly less than SNCB and Trainline, yes I know that doesn’t sound right at all. Eurostar do a couple of direct Essen to Brussels trains daily but these trains are incredibly expensive.

I’m hoping someone can tell me where I am (or something else is) going wrong. Thanks.

it might be too late for you now, but i ran into this exact issue and just fixed it by deleting and recreating my account through the DB app!