Decoding Slovak Timetable note

[AdamWW]

Gosh that’s worded really confusingly, isn’t it? They could have just said “runs on weekends/public holidays only, except 27/06–31/08 and 22/12–05/01 when it’s daily”, no?

Although that does leave out 22/06 which is a Sunday.

Thank goodness for journey planners!

I've spent too much of my life attempting to decypher cryptic footnotes in languages I don't know very well, and trying to aim for services without a footnote to be on the safe side.

My favourite one was a Slovenian bus timetable where I eventually decoded one footnote as indicating that there was no footnote, i.e. the bus ran 7 days a week all year round. That isn't fair...

 

[ainsworth74]

My favourite one was a Slovenian bus timetable where I eventually decoded one footnote as indicating that there was no footnote, i.e. the bus ran 7 days a week all year round. That isn't fair...

Now that's cruel

 

[AdamWW]

Now that's cruel

That was indeed my feeling at the time.

Even worse than the one indicating: "Bus runs all year 7 days a week at the same time but, and even though this makes no difference to you as a passenger, we want you to know that the bus company is different on different days".

 

[Panceltic]

Thank goodness for journey planners!

I've spent too much of my life attempting to decypher cryptic footnotes in languages I don't know very well, and trying to aim for services without a footnote to be on the safe side.

My favourite one was a Slovenian bus timetable where I eventually decoded one footnote as indicating that there was no footnote, i.e. the bus ran 7 days a week all year round. That isn't fair...

Hahaha where was that? I am interested to know since I am Slovenian myself.

 

[AdamWW]

Hahaha where was that? I am interested to know since I am Slovenian myself.

Hmmm. It was a while ago. Possibly the far end of Lake Bohinj. (Lovely place).

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And I came across this beauty in Poland a couple of years ago, where every single train had its own footnote.
(Trains to Hel).

 

[rvdborgt]

Footnote 15 is used twice
I remember an article from many years ago in Today's Railways that was called something like "Why we don't like SNCF timetables", with several extreme examples. Typical of SNCF is having more footnotes than trains, one train appearing multiple times with slightly different times, and several footnotes applying to one instance of a train.

 

[Tester]

Footnote 15 is used twice
I remember an article from many years ago in Today's Railways that waa called something like "Why we don't like SNCF timetables", with several extreme examples. Typical of SNCF is having more footnotes than trains, one train appearing multiple times with slightly different times, and several footnotes applying to one instance of a train.

Even the Thomas Cook timetable once managed an ever so subtle dig in print next to a particularly egregious bit of SNCF timetabling (from memory Paris-Cherbourg).

 

[AdamWW]

Even the Thomas Cook timetable once managed an ever so subtle dig in print next to a particularly egregious bit of SNCF timetabling (from memory Paris-Cherbourg).

If I recall correctly they've now given up on some SNCF trains and just say that the timings are approximate and that you need to check them with a journey planner.

 

[Segedunum]

Just thought I'd follow up on this and say that I'm currently doing Margecany to Banská Bystrica via Telgart.

First leg was a pair of 812s (slightly modernised Vagonka Studenka railbuses) instead of the booked 861. We left 22 late due to awaiting connections, but signaller seemed more bothered about us than any other service as we held up everything else on single line sections so we could make up a few minutes! Very scenic after Nalépkovo with a large lake on your right.

Arrival at Telgart was 16 late, with no sign of the bus, though it came in after about five minutes, reassuringly! Quick swap of passengers, conductor got on, signed some paperwork, hopped off again and off we went.

A very swift change at Červena Skala meant that we left only 8 late, with the stationmaster hurriedly getting someone's big suitcase over the tracks.

In a nutshell - nice and easy!

 

[railfan99]

In Slovakia in October 2025, I had a 15 minute rail replacement bus between intermediate stations.

As I had a heavy suitcase and backpack, I was last off the incoming train. The bus left very promptly, within three minutes and at the other end, the train departed about two to three minutes after the bus pulled in.

ZSSK don't muck around.

 

[ainsworth74]

Just to bring this all full circle. Did the Banská Bystrica and Margenceny route today and it all went extremely smoothly (just as it did for @Segedunum). Arrived at Červena Skala around a minute or two late. As we stepped off there were several station staff present who began directing people to the bus. We all boarded and around three minutes after the train arrived the bus departed on it's journey. It arrived at the next station we all piled off and onto the train that was waiting in the station and around a minute after we arrived on the bus the train departeded. The train left around 4 minutes late from Telgart.

To be quite honest it put the UK approach to rail replacement buses to shame. If they were actually as smooth as ZSSK managed (and I suspect manage on every service on that line!) then people might be so reticent to use them.

Also anyone who is in the area or could be, the line is well worth doing throughout! Very scenic in parts and even the less scenic parts have plenty of interest out of the window.

Finally the first service mentioned was from Tisovec to Breznov and was also well worth doing. Very rural and in the hilly/mountious parts of Slovakia. The service from Jesenske to Tisovec is also interesting as well. Real contrasts of rolling Slovak fields, then into hilly country with towns and industry and also some real proper poverity on display. We went past one settlement where it looked like the locals had outhouses in a shanty towns (needless to say they seemd to be Roma, a group that always seem to be marginalised).

Thanks to all for the assistance with the planning and I would heartily recommened Slovakia if you haven't been!

 

[Taunton]

Even the Thomas Cook timetable once managed an ever so subtle dig in print next to a particularly egregious bit of SNCF timetabling (from memory Paris-Cherbourg).

I think I recall that was indeed John Price, longstanding Cooks timetable editor, in the years when Paris to Cherbourg was run by Turbotrains, which themselves varied every day of the week, but at periods and indeed odd days when extra demand was expected they were supplemented by standard Corail loco-hauled trains. The timetable layout was a nightmare.

Rail writer Bryan Morgan had been similarly scathing about the French Bradshaw-equivalent, "Indicateur Chaix", in the 1950s, finding services on obscure branches which ran "Second Wednesday of the Month", for market day, and returned on "Thursday following Second Wednesday of the Month". All not only in French of course but key words abbreviated.

 

[ainsworth74]

Hello again! It is I the forlorn traveller struggling with decoding the Slovak timetable

I'm looking at table 188 of the Slovak timetable regarding a journey from Kosice to Plavec and I'm trying to decode the below footnotes:



In particular notes 44 and 45 as I cannot for the life of me work out what it's trying to say about when those services that run beyond Lipany!

Note 43 I'm fairly sure I've correctly decoded as being Saturday and Sunday only until 22 February, then doesn't run again until 13 June to 13 September (which tallies with what I've been able to get a journey planner to show) and then ceases again. But I'm totally bamboozled by 44 and 45.

I've attached the page of the timetable that I'm looking at in case it helps anyone with wider context!

 

[AdamWW]

I think 44 is just:
Runs Fridays and also the three dates listed, but doesn't run on the dates listed after "nejde" (which lists 3 dates and one range of dates).
So nothing at all in July or August.
Or am I missing a subtlety?

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Note 43 I'm fairly sure I've correctly decoded as being Saturday and Sunday only until 22 February, then doesn't run again until 13 June to 13 September (which tallies with what I've been able to get a journey planner to show) and then ceases again.

Yes I agree with that though I think the cross symbol is probably something like Sundays and holidays otherwise it would just be a circled 7.

 

[Wandering Pom]

I think the notes translate fairly literally as follows:
43: runs on Saturdays and Sundays + public holidays to 22 February and from 13 June to 13 September
44: runs on Fridays, and 1st & 30th April, 28th May; does not run 6th March, 3rd April, 1st May, 3rd July - 28th August, 30th October
45: runs on Sundays from 8th February, and 2nd February, 7th April, 31st August; does not run 1st March, 5th April, 28th June - 30th August

I would of course suggest running things through journey planners to confirm that trains do or do not run on the expected dates.

 

[ainsworth74]

Thank you both that's very helpful I have now managed to get the trains relating to note 44 and 45 to show in the ZSSK journey planner (which I was struggling to do at all last night!)

 

[AdamWW]

Thank you both that's very helpful I have now managed to get the trains relating to note 44 and 45 to show in the ZSSK journey planner (which I was struggling to do at all last night!)

Great.

It was much more entertaining in the days before journey planners. Or even on-line timetables.
The Thomas Cook tends to be a bit low on detail when you get as far as Slovakia.
I wouldn't want to go back to having to go to the station and write things down from timetables wrapped round "prayer wheels".

 

[ainsworth74]

I wouldn't want to go back to having to go to the station and write things down from timetables wrapped round "prayer wheels"

I came across those in a handful of places in my last trip to Slovakia, whilst they were certainly quite novel and clever in their way I too am glad that their the only way of finding this information!

 

[The exile]

I think 44 is just:
Runs Fridays and also the three dates listed, but doesn't run on the dates listed after "nejde" (which lists 3 dates and one range of dates).
So nothing at all in July or August.
Or am I missing a subtlety?

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 1 Jul 2026 ==



Yes I agree with that though I think the cross symbol is probably something like Sundays and holidays otherwise it would just be a circled 7.

The cross is generally “non working days” (ie the counterpart to the crossed “work tools” symbol for “working days”). Symbols date from the days when for most people Saturday was a working day.

 

[Taunton]

Yes I agree with that though I think the cross symbol is probably something like Sundays and holidays otherwise it would just be a circled 7.

These were longstanding icons used by traditional timetables, which were I think a UIC standard. They were straight from the Linotype print font set. Key ones :

Double crossed lines : every day
Crossed hammers : Not Sundays or holidays
Crossed hammers in a box : Not Saturdays, Sundays or holidays
Dagger ("church cross") : Sundays only

But not a worldwide standard. In the USA, the "Official Guide", equivalent of Bradshaw, used the Dagger for every day EXCEPT Sundays

 

[JRT]

Footnote 15 is used twice
I remember an article from many years ago in Today's Railways that was called something like "Why we don't like SNCF timetables", with several extreme examples. Typical of SNCF is having more footnotes than trains, one train appearing multiple times with slightly different times, and several footnotes applying to one instance of a train.

Not mentioned above, but do you remember blue & white days for British Rail monthly return tickets? (Later SuperSaver and Saver returns). Basically you could only use SuperSaver tickets on blue days (generally any day except Friday). Well SNCF went one step further, and the (off-peak) blue tickets are only valid for part of the day, but in typical SNCF fashion this varies each day.... there was a handy chart at the station stuck on a pillar and there was an English guy working at the enquiry desk who pointed it out!

 

[AdamWW]

Not mentioned above, but do you remember blue & white days for British Rail monthly return tickets? (Later SuperSaver and Saver returns). Basically you could only use SuperSaver tickets on blue days (generally any day except Friday). Well SNCF went one step further, and the (off-peak) blue tickets are only valid for part of the day, but in typical SNCF fashion this varies each day.... there was a handy chart at the station stuck on a pillar and there was an English guy working at the enquiry desk who pointed it out!

All true but still nothing like the fearsome complexity of Czech or Slovak timetable footnotes.

I seem to recall SNCF had three colours - white, blue and red.
Though my recollection was that it only applied to tickets purchased with a railcard.

 

[Taunton]

From a French timetable of past years (the narrow gauge Vivaris). The branches appear to run only a few times a day, so your French had better be good understanding the footnotes

 

[jpl]

Some journey planners are modern enough so that they are capable of showing the validity period of selected schedule. A calendar view is in my opinion better approach than many footnotes. Of course the traditional format timetable publications still require some method to communicate this, so it doesn't fully substitute the use of footnotes.

As a programmer I've started to prefer a good old bitmask over footnotes: 0 = doesn't run, 1 = runs, so simple.

 

[30907]

Not mentioned above, but do you remember blue & white days for British Rail monthly return tickets? (Later SuperSaver and Saver returns). Basically you could only use SuperSaver tickets on blue days (generally any day except Friday). Well SNCF went one step further, and the (off-peak) blue tickets are only valid for part of the day, but in typical SNCF fashion this varies each day.... there was a handy chart at the station stuck on a pillar and there was an English guy working at the enquiry desk who pointed it out!

I thought SNCF was the original - white was something like Friday evening, Saturday morning, Sunday afternoon/evening. I think there may even have been a couple of red days (can't remember what they were for...).

 

[Taunton]

I thought SNCF was the original - white was something like Friday evening, Saturday morning, Sunday afternoon/evening. I think there may even have been a couple of red days (can't remember what they were for...).

I thought Red-White-Blue fares were initiated by Canadian National in 1962, well before they were integrated into Via Canada. They became very prominent in pricing for off-peak days. Here's a description of their introduction in 1962, and a calendar.

Canadian National Railway - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[StephenHunter]

The cross is generally “non working days” (ie the counterpart to the crossed “work tools” symbol for “working days”). Symbols date from the days when for most people Saturday was a working day.

Like when it was Czechoslovakia and you needed a visa to go there.