DB Bahn question
 

When you see this does that mean it is a bus going to Karlsruhe?


{Heidelberg Hbf Su, 04.03.12 dep 08:48 8 S 3 S-Bahn Direction: Karlsruhe Hbf
Number of bicycles conveyed limited, vehicle-mounted accessaid, notification: 01805-512512 *, (*14 ct/Min. aus dem Festnetz, Tarif bei Mobilfunk max. 42 ct/Min.)
Karlsruhe Hbf Su, 04.03.12 arr 09:36 5
Show intermediate stops}


it still list platform 8 but is S-Bahn a bus?
thanks

S-Bahn is a commuter train - it looks a good bit like a subway car, but larger. There are different types - maybe yours will look like this:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...n_Type_420.JPG

thanks for the reply- you do not know what a help this site has been.

And for some sweet sites with lots of info on German trains check out www.seat61.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com. I have ridden S-Bahn trains for years - like Russ says just like a metro but larger cars because they serve far out into the suburbs and a run by the German Railways but inside cities may even run over the same tracks as the U-Bahn, a metro run by local municipalities and not the DB or German Railways. And be sure there will be very frequent S-Bahn service so that is not the only train you can take - there should be up to several an hour. In stations S-Bahns often use the lower level under the main stations for long-distance trains.

S-Bahn stands for "Stadtschnellbahn" or rapid city train
U-Bahn stands for "Untergrundbahn" or underground train

Generally, but not always, you can presume that the U-Bahn is going to be a subway and the S-Bahn is going to be surface rail. They will each sometimes go below and above ground. The S-bahn trains, especially in the core of a city, will usually use the same tracks as the U-Bahn system.

The farther you get from the city core, the fewer tunnels there are, so the S-Bahn designations predominate .