My wife and I will be travelling by train in Germany in July. We will be on IRE, EC and ICE trains. This will be part of a 5 week trip, and we will each have a medium-sized bag (mine is on the large side of medium) and hand luggage. Is there storage space in the carriages for luggage or will we have to place it in a separate luggage car? Does it differ between first and second class?
Rob.

In most trains - except commuter / local trains - there will be storage at each end of each carriage and some overhead storage for smaller items.

Same applies for most of Europe

alan is spot on.

Since your luggage seems to be of moderate size, you should try to fit it in the overhead racks. Some people prefer to have their luggage with them/ in sight, though, and would rather block the aisle a bit than leave it where they can't see it. The latter is rather common practice on long-distance trains in Germany.

Commuter/ local trains in Germany usually have one part of one carriage with seats along the side of the carriage and "open plan" in between, to hold on to bicycles or other "cargo". The seats are not as comfortable as the regular ones, but work okay for short distances.

http://www.bahn.de/i/view/GBR/en/trains/index.shtml

They all have room for luggage. Of course, if your luggage is very large or you have lots of it, it is better to book it in advance. In local trains there are normally the overhead luggage racks.

Note the overhead luggage racks are designed more for briefcases than half your worldly possessions and the kitchen sink

Thanks. I was having visions of the carnage that would ensue as a 20kg+ case comes tumbling down from an overhead rack onto unsuspecting passengers below who are holding hot cups of coffee!
Rob.

Overhead racks work best with bags that are a max of 22 inches which is what we travel with.

In many of the first class ICE trains we can also fit them behind our seats which is what we prefer. Also, we often reserve our seats in compartments and there is always overhead storage.

I agree that the "carry on" size suitcases works best in German trains. We used the 22" size on trains 2 years ago with no problems and did not inconvenience any other travelers. Anything larger would be difficult to lug about a train and not fit very well on the overhead racks. We always try to fit in and not cause other travelers any undue stress. We are leaving for Germany & Austria next week!!!

It is almost impossible to answer your question with ONE "stock" reply because there are SO many variables involved.

First, those "overhead racks" can vary in depth from piece of equipment to piece of equipment...but they are GENERALLY able to hand a WIDE variety of luggage sizes depending on how those pieces are placed.

I am a little surprised that nobody on this thread has even thought to remind you that in SOME rail carriages there is space to store things underneath your seat and sometimes, depending on the seating configuration, there is room to store luggage BETWEEN the backs of some seats, especially if you are in an "open plan" carriage (one aisle down the middle with seats on either side) and some of the seats are configured back-to-back.

Now, are you the least bit concerned about getting that luggage UP TO THE PLATFORM? You might want to think about that...some larger stations have escalators up; some even have luggage conveyor belts built into the sides of the STAIRS..and you can count on STAIRS up and down although some platforms have a stairwell up and down as well as a RAMP.

All in all not to worry and as to how hard it is to "lug' stuff...I somehow suspect that probably has a LOT to do with how big and strong you are...maybe just?????

Thank you all for your responses. Getting our bags from point A to point B is not so much of an issue, because I am still able to lug the stuff around, while my wife carries the smaller hand luggage, and I am quite comfortable in hoicking it into an overhead rack, if that is necessary. Where I get a bit uncomfortable is if I can no longer see our luggage (for security reasons) and know that I can grab it at a moment's notice if we have to make quick change of train, etc. We have booked most of our train travel in first class so, hopefully, we will be able to get our luggage into the carriage, one way or another.
Rob.

Rob, arrive in plenty of time and check the overhead signs and/or carriage information that will tell you where to stand to board your carriage. The stops can be fairly brief.

We have had to leave luggage on the racks in the end of the car on many occasions and have never had a problem. We get up a few minutes before our stop and take the bags down, keeping them out of the way of the walkway.

After many trips to Europe we have learned the benefits of traveling light s it just makes things easier.

Have a great trip!

I am travelling in 2nd class since the longest train ride will be about 1.5 hours. Regarding the luggage-if we have to put our luggage at the end of the car- do you recommend using some kind of locking system - chain and lock for security purposes?
Thanks Marilyn

For wpmom,

Some people feel more secure using a cable-type lock like a bike lock to secure their luggage, but I never have. I don't travel with expensive-looking pieces, and I've never ever had a problem. If you are worried in the least, you only have to glance up at the luggage during stops --

I once had to leave my big bag at the end of an overcrowded train carriage, standing up among a gathering of *veryvery* happy folks at night on the last night of the Oktoberfest. If ever there was a time to be worried, that was it. No problems!

s

For wpmom,

If you are traveling in southern Italy, I would say yes, by all means! We've seen how people lost their luggage on the train there.

A cable lock will alert any potential thief that this piece of luggage contains the crown jewels or similar and is particularly worth stealing.

I use a cable lock in India but I've never bothered in Europe. Anything worth stealing is in my day pack and with me. It could be a hassle getting it UNlocked for getting off the train.

I've travelled all over Europe on trains, in Turkey, Sicily, Portugal, Ireland, Finland and everywhere in between, and I cannot remember ever seeing anyone using a cable lock to attach their luggage to the train. If I saw anybody doing that, I'd think they were madly eccentric or had gold bullion in their suitcase. Lots of people travel on trains with luggage: it's such a normal thing to do that nobody worries about it at all.

sounds good- thanks for your advice-we usually rent a car so have not had much experience on the train

If you have things that obviously contain valuable stuff (laptop/camera bag, purse etc.) you should not let it out of your eyes indeed. A normal suitcase though... really, who would steal somebody else's underwear?

The 1st class ICE carriages I have travelled in have had no room for big luggage, only over head racks.