DB ticket query

[Goldfish62]

Three of us are travelling from Brussels to Hannover next week, with an overnight "connection" at Cologne. DB have just emailed me to say that the train we are on from Cologne is no longer the 1045, but we are now on the 0948 departure (presumably the 1045 is cancelled). However, our seat reservations have not been transferred over, there seems to be no facility to reserve seats and the ticket (when re-downloaded) still shows the 1045 train.

So, any way I can reserve seats on the 0941 and are we going to have problems with our tickets because they're showing the wrong train?

 

[rvdborgt]

The first thing to do is to check on bahn.de what exactly happens with your train. The change may be that it now stops at Köln Messe/Deutz instead of Köln Hbf. Reservations will then still be valid in that train, as long as the train number remains the same.
If you use another train, you can rebook for free by phone or at a DB ticket office, or book new reservations yourself and ask for a refund. Or don't book reservations at all.
In addition, although DB are suggesting an earlier train, there's no obligation at all to take it. You can use any other train that day that suits you; your ticket is now flexible.

 

[Goldfish62]

The first thing to do is to check on bahn.de what exactly happens with your train. The change may be that it now stops at Köln Messe/Deutz instead of Köln Hbf. Reservations will then still be valid in that train, as long as the train number remains the same.
If you use another train, you can rebook for free by phone or at a DB ticket office, or book new reservations yourself and ask for a refund. Or don't book reservations at all.
In addition, although DB are suggesting an earlier train, there's no obligation at all to take it. You can use any other train that day that suits you; your ticket is now flexible.

Many thanks for the info. I checked and the 1045 is indeed now 1044 from Koln Messe/Deutz rather than Hbf, which as it happens wouldn't be at all convenient.

 

[rvdborgt]

Many thanks for the info. I checked and the 1045 is indeed now 1044 from Koln Messe/Deutz rather than Hbf, which as it happens wouldn't be at all convenient.

There are trains from Hbf to Messe/Deutz every few minutes, or is a change problematic?
What's your travel date?

 

[Goldfish62]

There are trains from Hbf to Messe/Deutz every few minutes, or is a change problematic?
What's your travel date?

Thanks for that info. Tuesday 17th. I'll speak to my friends to see what they want to do.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 5 Sep 2024 ==

The first thing to do is to check on bahn.de what exactly happens with your train. The change may be that it now stops at Köln Messe/Deutz instead of Köln Hbf. Reservations will then still be valid in that train, as long as the train number remains the same.
If you use another train, you can rebook for free by phone or at a DB ticket office, or book new reservations yourself and ask for a refund. Or don't book reservations at all.
In addition, although DB are suggesting an earlier train, there's no obligation at all to take it. You can use any other train that day that suits you; your ticket is now flexible.

Having checked the email again there's no mention of the tickets now being flexible. It basically says, "Here is your new train".

We'll travel on it, not a massive issue, but I'm not impressed that the reservations aren't transferred across.

 

[rvdborgt]

Having checked the email again there's no mention of the tickets now being flexible. It basically says, "Here is your new train".

If your train is cancelled and the expected delay at your destination is at least 60 minutes if you'd turn up at the agreed time, then you can use any train that suits you. In your case, DB apparently chose not to mention this, but EU (and German) legislation applies whether DB mention it or not. In other cases, DB sometimes writes that ticket restrictions are lifted even when no change is visible to the passenger's journey... DB's e-mail notifications are a mess.
Knowing what passengers' rights are, it's quite difficult to predict what they'd like to do. I think a simple way to change reservations online would be the way forward.

 

[signed]

If a train is cancelled, the Zugbindung is automatically lifted, and your ticket as a whole becomes a flexible ticket

 

[30907]

You can, of course, book new reservations but the German faqs say they will "attempt" to rebook you when your train is altered. Can't find it in English

https://www.bahn.de/faq/kann-ich-meine-sitzplatzreservierung-umbuchen-oder-umtauschen

 

[Goldfish62]

You can, of course, book new reservations but the German faqs say they will "attempt" to rebook you when your train is altered. Can't find it in English

https://www.bahn.de/faq/kann-ich-meine-sitzplatzreservierung-umbuchen-oder-umtauschen

Thanks for that. Under the FAQ it seems to say that we'll receive new seat reservations one hour before the train's departure. We shall see. If it was later in the day we we'd be happy with camping out in the buffet drinking beer but it's bit early for that!

Anyway, I have my email from DB telling me that our train has changed and I shall print it out and take it with me in case there are arguments about being on the wrong train etc.

 

[dutchflyer]

YOu do not really need a RES in DE on DB/ICE-but it can be done. Much same-same as in GB.
You can even walk on a special footpath over the Rhinebridge from HBF to Messe-Bhf. Then try to count the nr of padlocks attached to the bridge railings and try to figure out why they are there.
If youre overnite HTL happens to be a little further away (f.e. the GB-run Premier in centre) and you need the tram/Stadtbahn KVB to get from it, you might as well go direct-same flat fare ticket- to Messe.

 

[30907]

YOu do not really need a RES in DE on DB/ICE-but it can be done. Much same-same as in GB.

If you are a group of 4, though? OTOH the 0948 is starting at Köln Hbf so less difficult to find seats.

You can even walk on a special footpath over the Rhinebridge from HBF to Messe-Bhf. Then try to count the nr of padlocks attached to the bridge railings and try to figure out why they are there.

There is a flag on the train from Messe, "heavy loading expected."