I have a trip from Frankfurt to Prague in December. I want to buy a train ticket and there is a short layover (5-6 minutes) in Schwandorf station.
This can be a problem? Would you recommend buying the train ticket?
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1what platform are you using to buy the ticket? DB?– njzk2Oct 16, 2022 at 16:04
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1If both lines are major routes, DB (German Railway operator) will wait a couple minutes for delayed connections. So, unless your incoming train is delayed more than 10-ish minutes, you should catch the connection.– Zsolt SzilagyOct 17, 2022 at 14:21
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@ZsoltSzilagy YMMV, but I've seen DB trains leave while my train was arriving on the other side of the platform...– SabineOct 17, 2022 at 15:16
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Just a side note: If your train to Schwandorf is late by a few minutes and if there is a Deutsche Bahn conductor on board you can ask them to announce a connecting passenger to the connecting train so it MIGHT wait for you. I am not sure if this works for changes from regional trains to ECs but at least for changes between long distance trains this is possible. Just tell them you want to make that connection and they will help you if possible.– MatzeOct 18, 2022 at 14:36
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4 Answers
I am not sure why the other answerers can't find your connection. I suppose you are aiming for one of the connections leaving Frankfurt hh:53 (hh being an even hour) by ICE, then with a connection in Nuremberg and a regional train to Schwandorf will give you a 6 minute connection there for the onward EC train to Prague?
The connection is realistic, you will not need more than 2-3 minutes to walk between the few platforms at the station in Schwandorf and since you are coming from Nuremberg on a regional train, I would not expect the incoming train to be delayed. Regional trains have a much better punctuality in Germany than long distance trains. As a bonus, the onward train (which originates in Munich) has been delayed every time I have been using it this year, so I would rather expect that you have to wait longer in Schwandorf than anticipated. Furthermore, DB will sell you the connection on a through ticket, so if your incoming train is late, you will be entitled to use your ticket on the next onward train to Prague.
The only issue is, that if you actually miss your connection in Schwandorf, you will have to wait two hours for the next train to Prague. If that is an issue, I would rather opt for one of the connections leaving Frankfurt about 30 minutes earlier and with a single 50 minutes transfer in Regensburg will give you much more room to catch up any delay.
answered Oct 16, 2022 at 18:24
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1yes, you're right. My route is like as you said. You mean 6 minuets are enough, right?– NijatOct 16, 2022 at 21:10
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3@Nijat I am pretty sure that six minutes will be enough for the connection, but as I said, if you really need to be in Prague at a specific time, you should be aware that there will be two hours before the next onward train. Oct 16, 2022 at 21:45
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3Last time I took the train to Prague, I arrived the day after as I missed 2 connections even though I had 30 minutes for the first one and 2 hours for the second... So I greatly encourage you to take the option with as few changes as possible, which seem to be Frankfurt->Dresden->Praha. There are cheap tickets available for December on thetrainline.– PuckOct 17, 2022 at 14:46
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1As a fellow traveller for destinations along the axis CZ-DE and CZ-CH, I second the suggestion from @Puck and use Dresden as the "hub" for travelling to Prague and not relying on the "accurate" DB timetable. If everything goes wrong, but you reached Dresden, from there you will be able to catch a taxi or some kind of private transfer to get to Prague ... not from Regensburg, not from Schwandorf.– EarlGreyOct 18, 2022 at 10:34
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1@Tor-EinarJarnbjo: we are discussing a what-if emergency scenario, i.e. "what if you miss the connection and you have to wait an unacceptable amount of time before crossing the border?". You are calculating the german taxi, but in Dresden you can have a Czech taxi. Try to check the equivalent taxi alternatives from Regensburg or from Schwandorf.– EarlGreyOct 18, 2022 at 11:30
That's a bit of an unusual routing, but it should work fine. It's a small train station, so you can easily make it if everything is on time.
I'm guessing that your are going to Marktredwitz next. If you miss your original train, just take the next one which will be anywhere between 20 minutes to 1 hour later.
With this type of train, you can take any train on the day of booking, you are not bound to a specific one. Train specific bookings (Zugbindung) only applies to "high end" trains like IC, ICE, EC, etc. Even with these: once you have missed a connection due no fault of your own the "Zugbindung" doesn't apply any more and you can take any train you like.
The only potential problem would be if you are travelling late in the day and there are no more connections.
I ran the travel through the bahn.de app and found quite a few connections throughout the day, non of which had that short layover.
If you are concerned, look for a different connection.
Usually the German railways are good in honoring your ticket even when bound to one train, when you miss your connection due to a delay. But 6 minutes is short for two long distance trains and I would personally prefer a longer time. On the other hand, I have done plenty of travels were 3 minutes would have been enough.
If the German railways planner or app sells you this as one ticket you can go for it. Like with flight layovers there is a minimum time for each connection and if they sell it, with no delays you should make it.
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2"6 minutes is short" especially these days, ICE are routinely delayed by more than that.– njzk2Oct 16, 2022 at 16:05
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1@njzk2 Which is more or less irrelevant, since OP is obviously coming to Schwandorf on a regional train. Oct 16, 2022 at 18:25
After many travels in German trains, I wouldn't recommend it. I would rather wait for an hour in a connecting station than change trains with only 5 minutes time. Trains are often late, much more than only 5 minutes. If possible, take an earlier connection to Schwandorf. You can even choose a longer time to change trains on the Deutsche Bahn homepage.
