Deutsche Bahn ICE Journey - Timetable Change, what to do about reservations?

[paulmch]

I'm hoping I can tap into the font of RUKF wisdom here - even as a fluent German speaker I find the DB website impenetrable!

I'm booked to travel with DB on October 10th from Brussels to Leipzig via Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof. I was adding my tickets to the Navigator app yesterday and noticed that it had a "Timetable changed, please choose an alternative" message. I gather from the website that no direct trains are running from Frankfurt Hbf that day, and that my suggested itinerary would be to get off ICE17 at Frankfurt Airport instead, and travel from there on ICE792 instead of ICE594 as originally booked.

I know that I will have to make a new reservation for ICE792 to Leipzig, but my question is - will my reservation on ICE17 from Brussels be held in the system as that portion of the itinerary is running as normal, or will I need to make a new reservation for that portion as well?

Many thanks in advance for the help!

 

[DanielB]

As long as you don't select an alternative connection your reservation will remain in the system is my experience with a similar situation where a connection was no longer possible.

After your trip, send an email to fahrkartenservice@bahn.de to have the costs for the reservation in ICE792 reimbursed, as you wouldn't have had to make that reservation when the original itinerary would be possible you're eligible for refund.

 

[rvdborgt]

As long as you don't select an alternative connection your reservation will remain in the system is my experience with a similar situation where a connection was no longer possible.

AFAIK DB don't book reservations for any alternative itinerary, and all that selecting another journey does is to update your notifications, which will then be for the chosen alternative.
The reservation for ICE17 will remain valid.

 

[dutchflyer]

As such you do not NEED to make a new REServation-in all ICE/IC here in DE=Germany these are optional, though indeed most wanting the assurance of a seat (with a fairly big chance you have to chase someone away from it at busy times) do it. Even tickets as ´Sparpreis=saver´ do not automatically contain it, though one does have to use the train stated on ticket for it. But its a friday and likely PM or later so thats a busy time.
Many sources also state that one can also make them via oebb.at (Austrian railways) for just 3€.

 

[paulmch]

Thank you all for the advice, much appreciated. I will give the ÖBB suggestion a try - it will be a 12-hour marathon travel day from Cambridge to Leipzig and my travel companion has never done long distance train travel before, so I want it to go smoothly!

 

[DanielB]

Many sources also state that one can also make them via oebb.at (Austrian railways) for just 3€.

When the initial reservation was made via DB, I'd always book reservations for alternative trains also via DB as that makes asking for a refund a lot easier.