hkchemsir

Hello All,

Can you tell me whether it is enough time or not for catching the train....

As my flight will land on 6.20 am in Frankfurt airport, then I plan to take the train at 7:51am to Basel SBB. Do you think it is enough time to get on this train ?


please advice.

anyegr

That sounds a bit rushed.

What if the plane lands late?

Will you have checked luggage or only carry on? Sometimes it can take half an hour or longer to wait for checked bags.

Are you from a Schengen country or will you have to go through passport control etc?

Does the train go straight from the airport? And, if it does, will it go from close to the gate/terminal where you land?

Is this a nonchangeable and nonrefundable train ticket?

hkchemsir

yes, I will flight from Hong Kong to Frankfurt.

If I can take the train at 7:51am, it will be cheaper train ticket.

Otherwise, the next train to Basel with cheap ticket depart at 9:51am, two hours later.

mokka4

You DO take a chance on losing the price of your train ticket if pre-buying.
That said, I have had my plane arrive EARLY on many occasions...so...

Whathello

Never been through immigration in Frankfurt but it is imo a very well organized airport and trainstation is right in front of it (at junction of terminal 1 and 2, 3 min outside..

So you could/should get it, probably at 90% but not guaranteed.

traveller1959

There is another train leaving at 8:53 for Basel SBB, however with a change in Mannheim. But you change to a train which is on the same platform, just opposite, so no great deal, even with luggage.

So what can happen?

1. Is your flight on time? There are many reasons for flight delays. You cannot count on a punctual flight.

2. 6:20 is touchdown time. Taxiing on the tarmac until the plane reaches the gate can take 20 min, sometimes even more. Makes 6:40.

3. Deplaning. Depending on the row where you are seated, it can take up to 20 min until you have left the plane. Makes 7:00.

4. Customs, security check and walking to the baggage claim area: 10 to 30 min. Makes 7:10 to 7:30.

5. Baggage claim. If you are lucky, your baggage will already be on the carousel if you arrive there, but you may wait up to 30 more minutes. Makes ~7:45.

6. Walking to the train station. 10 min. Makes ~7:55.

Conclusion: You will catch the 7:51 train only if everything works smoothly. A slight delay at one step will make you miss the train.

I would pay the higher price an book a flexible train ticket.

Cowboy1968

The statistics show an on-time record of flight CX289 of 76%.
http://www.flightstats.com/go/Flight...irportCode=FRA

Even though a 99% on-time flight record does not help you when you catch the 1% of delayed flights, the record for CX289 would make me lean very much in favor of a flexible train ticket - as PP suggested.

As Cathay uses Terminal 2, you will need to calculate more time to get to the train station, which is connected to Terminal 1.

hkchemsir

The train at 8:51 am costs much expensive...

So I think I will go to the Freankfurt Main Bahnhof to take the train at 8:50am to Basel.

Thanks the above.

hkchemsir

Also, I will continue my trip to Interlaken.

traveller1959

What is the use of a cheap train ticket if you miss the train and the ticket is not refundable?

The 8:50 train from Hauptbahnhof to Basel is the same (ICE 275) as the 8:53 from Flughafen. You change to this train in Mannheim.

Is the ticket from Hauptbahnhof to Basel really cheaper than the ticket from Flughafen to Basel? If this is the case, buy one ticket from Flughafen to Mannheim and another ticket from Mannheim to Interlaken.

But in any case, if your flight is severely delayed, you will not catch 8:53 train either.

hkchemsir

From the www.bahn.de , it shows that the price of ICE 275 only costs Euro 19 from Frankfurt Main station to Basel Bad Bf (I have Swiss pass and continue to Interlaken).
However, the ICE (8:53am) from Frankfurt Airport to Basel Bad Bf costs Euro 69.

So I think I will go to the Main Train Station to take the ICE 275.

Thanks.