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My planned trip was:

"Aachen Hbf 13.07. ab 15:22 2

Neuss Hbf 13.07. an 16:25 5

RE 91687

Neuss Hbf 13.07. ab 16:36 1

Minden(Westf) 13.07. an 19:30 13

RE 89729

Minden(Westf) 13.07. ab 19:51 13

Berlin Hbf 13.07. an 22:15 11

IC 149

Berlin Hbf (tief) 13.07. ab 22:33 6

Angermünde 13.07. an 23:32 2

RE 3320

Angermünde 13.07. ab 23:36

Szczecin Glowny 14.07. an 01:27

Bus RB66

Szczecin Glowny 14.07. ab 04:19

Kutno 14.07. an 09:05

EIC 8100

Kutno 14.07. ab 09:26

Warszawa Gdanska 14.07. an 10:48

IC 72100

The Minden train got delayed for 40 or 45 minutes causing me to miss my train to Berlin. I asked staff and they told me to get on the Hannover train and I did. From Hannover I went to Berlin as information said.

Currently I am in Berlin and all information kiosks are closed.

So my questions are:

  1. I saw a train from Berlin to Warszawa at 5 a.m., can I board that train without any problems? Will I face fines when they check my tickets?

  2. Can I sleep here? Is it considered safe to do so?

  3. Are there any 7/24 open information desks? I couldn't find any.

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  • So do I get this correctly? You are trying to get from Aachen to Warsawa using the Deutschland Ticket, using only local trains? In that case you can't take the IC. You will need to take an RE first. See www.bahn.de I assume you have a ticket for the polish part?
    – Krist van Besien
    Jul 14 at 2:14
  • The thing is it's my first time using trains. I bought ticket by using omio and it got everything planned for me except this delay. Im pretty sure i have a ticket to warsawa.
    – TiffoziB
    Jul 14 at 2:30
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    Ok. I thought first that you were travelling on a "Deutschland Ticket", using regional trains only, as that is the only way I could see why you would take such a complicated routing. Anyway: If you have a normal ticket Aachen to Warsawa (that should be obvious for your ticket) then you can indeed just take the next available train when you miss a connection. For the next time: Buy tickets from Bahn.de, and avoid complicated routings with overnight layovers. Those are never pleasant.
    – Krist van Besien
    Jul 14 at 4:19
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    Don't know where you are now, but this is what I would have done: I would just have gone to the platform for that 5AM train, and approached the conductor of that train there.
    – Krist van Besien
    Jul 14 at 4:33
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    Was all this on a single through ticket? If so you may be protected under the EU rail passenger rights regulation (which says you would even be entitled to a hotel if you get stuck overnight in a city because of the delay). But the complex routing makes me wonder if that is indeed the case.
    – jcaron
    Jul 14 at 13:14

2 Answers 2

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When travelling by train there are generally two types of tickets:

  • Flexible tickets, which allow you to take any train on the route your ticket has been issued for, on the days the ticket is valid.
  • Discounted inflexible tickets. These require you to take specific trains, but are cheaper.

In Germany the moment you encounter a delay, when travelling on a discounted, non-flexible ticket your ticket becomes flexible by default. So from that moment on you can just take any train on your route. That is what the conductors in Germany told you to do.

For international connections it is a bit more complicated, as you usually must stick to the same border crossing as the original ticket. You have a ticket that goes via Tantow, but the direct ICs go via Frankfurt(Oder). So you could continue via the same route, taking the next train to Angermunde and connecting there with the Rail Replacement bus to Szczecin, and then connect onwards to Warsaw. But your rights as a passenger are clear: The railways must do whatever is reasonable to get you to your destination as quickly as possible, even if that involves rerouting. So your ticket should be made valid for the direct IC trains to Warsaw as well. They can do that at a ticket office, but a train conductor could help you as well.

For next time: Avoid such complicated, lengthy routings, and avoid overnight layovers at train stations. As you found out these are not really nice places to stay overnight in. You could have done Aachen - Warsawa with only one change by starting on the morning ICE to Berlin...

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I bought ticket by using omio

That, unfortunately, was a mistake. You should always buy the ticket from the provider directly, specifically because of the case that you have encountered. When booking through a 3rd party, you end up with two sets of terms & conditions, copious finger pointing and no one being responsible ("talk to the other guys").

Rules for Deutsche Bahn a straight forward and can be found here: https://www.bahn.com/en/booking-information/passenger-rights/passenger-rights-in-rail-transport but depend on the specifics of your ticket. Generally you can

  1. Take a different train to your destination, in the same "class of service". If you have a regional train ticket, you can actually upgrade to an IC or ICE (etc) but you have to buy the ticket first and then apply for a refund.
  2. You are entitled to delay compensation, typically 25% of the ticket price.

Whether the same applies to a ticket issued by Omio is anyone's guess. Their website doesn't say. The ticket probably came with a specific set of rules and terms which I suggest you read carefully.

Your best shot at this point is to go to the German Bahn ticket office, show them what you got and ask.

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  • 3
    Even when the ticket is bought through a third party the normal fare conditions for DB and PKP apply. The agent selling you the ticket is only responsible for eventual cancellations/refunds prior to departure. Once you have started the trip the railways are responsible for taking care of you in case of disruptions.
    – Krist van Besien
    Jul 14 at 17:01

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