I was due to catch the last train from Zurich to Munich of the day. My trip began elsewhere in Switzerland. Due to a 20-minute delay of a previous train on the way to Zurich, I missed the connection and ended up being stranded there. I am travelling on a first-class Interrail pass.
I told a railway staff on board about the situation; told me in return to enquire at the train station ticket sales for assistance, which I did.
Once there, the answer was that there could be no compensation or accommodation arrangement, because a later but very impractical onward connection was available.
The initial train I missed left around 19h and reached Munich at 23h. Technically a day train.
The proposed alternative was as follows:
21h40 Zurich - 3h20 Salzburg (sleeper train)
3h50 Salzburg - 5h (roughly) Munich (regional train)
The problem is that it is a sit-up-all-night solution with a transfer at odd hours, at a time where the station can be populated by... let's say... interesting people. The first train is actually a night train, but they only offered me to use the seated carriage, all the lie-flat accommodations being sold out. The second is a regional train that stops frequently. At that point of the journey, I would have been exhausted and not able to watch my bags for instance.
The itinerary I chose was given by the official trip planner of SBB, therefore feasible by their standards regarding transfer times.
In the past, when I encountered a similar situation in Germany, also on an Interrail pass, the Deutsche Bahn arranged a taxi ride to the destination on them, as they were responsible for the train delay that broke the connection.
As I could not afford to pull an all-nighter, I changed my itinerary in order to sleep in a proper bed, which involved an extra expense for the hotel night.
How is it possible that the suggested alternative is considered as reasonable? Can I request compensation using a different channel, perhaps?
