Polish trains to Berlin HBF shutdown in July?
May 22nd, 2019, 01:31 PM
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Polish trains to Berlin HBF shutdown in July?
Is anyone aware of this train station closing this July for certain trains? I want to take a train from Poznan Poland to Berlin, and some website I was looking at a few weeks ago, can't remember which, had some note that no usual trains between those two stations were going in July due to work at Berlin Hbf or something.
Today I checked ticket options and find Polrail will sell me a ticket on the route in mid-July no problem, the exact direct train I want. By contrast, bahn.de will only sell me a couple of trains that require connections in Frankfurt von Oder, although the regional train from there does then go to Berlin Hbf. This adds on about a half hour, which I don't mind that much, but would rather not transfer. the PKP (Polish rail) site won't sell international trains, from my understanding, they won't list any choices. Trainline.eu has the same options as DB, only connections.
Obviously I'd prefer the direct Polrail options but wonder if that is bogus and I'm leery of buying a ticket from them and there not really being a train (and me perhaps having trouble getting a refund).
What would you do?
Today I checked ticket options and find Polrail will sell me a ticket on the route in mid-July no problem, the exact direct train I want. By contrast, bahn.de will only sell me a couple of trains that require connections in Frankfurt von Oder, although the regional train from there does then go to Berlin Hbf. This adds on about a half hour, which I don't mind that much, but would rather not transfer. the PKP (Polish rail) site won't sell international trains, from my understanding, they won't list any choices. Trainline.eu has the same options as DB, only connections.
Obviously I'd prefer the direct Polrail options but wonder if that is bogus and I'm leery of buying a ticket from them and there not really being a train (and me perhaps having trouble getting a refund).
What would you do?
May 22nd, 2019, 04:50 PM
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bahn.de/en says for July trans there several direct trains will start reduced fares and regular fares May 25, 2010. Christina knows but for more insights check www.seat61.com - general trains - BETS-European Rail Experts and www.ricksteves.com. Europe also is developing a lot of long-distance buses that could be cheapest of all. Me I'll pay extra to take train anytime.
May 22nd, 2019, 05:20 PM
#4
I checked on www.intercity.pl and it does mention some trains being affected by the station shutdown.
https://www.intercity.pl/pl/site/o-n...n04201912.html
For some reason intercity.pl does not translate to English, Google does a good job.
Go with bahn.de
https://www.intercity.pl/pl/site/o-n...n04201912.html
For some reason intercity.pl does not translate to English, Google does a good job.
Go with bahn.de
Last edited by cdnyul; May 22nd, 2019 at 05:22 PM.
May 22nd, 2019, 09:09 PM
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In July, there are several construction works going on, affecting rail travel between Frankfurt/Oder and Berlin, and consequentely also the international trains between Warsaw/Poznan and Berlin.
It depends on the exact date of your planned journey whether you
A. will have to connect in Frankfurt/Oder to a regional train,
B. will have to connect in Frankfurt/Oder to a BUS replacement service or
C. will have a longer trip as the specific Intercity will be routed via Cottbus which adds appr. more than an hour to the regular travel time
Berlin Hbf will not literally shut down, but the construction works on the elevated crosstown section in Berlin and on that mainline between Frankfurt/Oder and Berlin will allow only for either only reduced number of trains or no trains at all (depending on exact date).
Berlin Gesundbrunnen station would be a good alternative as it's also well connected to local rail and subway lines.
Or, if you don't want to deal with these issues, you can check for long-distance bus services. Poznan-Berlin is not exactly a long drive or ride.
www.busradar.com
It depends on the exact date of your planned journey whether you
A. will have to connect in Frankfurt/Oder to a regional train,
B. will have to connect in Frankfurt/Oder to a BUS replacement service or
C. will have a longer trip as the specific Intercity will be routed via Cottbus which adds appr. more than an hour to the regular travel time
Berlin Hbf will not literally shut down, but the construction works on the elevated crosstown section in Berlin and on that mainline between Frankfurt/Oder and Berlin will allow only for either only reduced number of trains or no trains at all (depending on exact date).
Berlin Gesundbrunnen station would be a good alternative as it's also well connected to local rail and subway lines.
Or, if you don't want to deal with these issues, you can check for long-distance bus services. Poznan-Berlin is not exactly a long drive or ride.
www.busradar.com
Last edited by Cowboy1968; May 22nd, 2019 at 09:15 PM.
May 24th, 2019, 08:57 AM
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Thanks for the ideas. There is a Flixbus actually that is only 10 euro direct so I thought of doing that, anyway, I'm just not sure how good those buses are in POland. I've taken buses in other countries, like Spain, and they were good. I'll check some more and see if I can figure out the options for the treain on the date I want, maybe Flixbus direct would be just as good as these other possibilities.
Cowboy, do you have any opinons on that Flixbus between Poznan and Berlin Hbf?
Cowboy, do you have any opinons on that Flixbus between Poznan and Berlin Hbf?
May 24th, 2019, 02:40 PM
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Flixbus must be the market leader in Europe by now. But they don't own all those buses, it's mostly more a franchise.
So there is no exactly standardized seat layout, legroom, etc. as if there was only one type of Flixbus.
The Flixbuses I travelled on all had acceptable leg room, WiFi, power/USB... snacks/beverages for sale, though not a huge selection, and more the candy bar type of snacks than real sandwiches or similar.
As the whole trip is just 3 1/2 hours, I would not hesitate to take the bus.
Just make sure that you pick the nonstop services - not the ones that need more than 4 1/2 hours.
In Berlin, you can get off at
SXF (which means Berlin Schönefeld Airport, probably not where you want to go),
Südkreuz (change for suburban trains to the Eastern city center)
or at the terminus, the central bus station (subway to the Western city center), not Berlin Hbf, the central rail station.
Which of the latter two stops is the right one for you depends on the location of your accomodation.
So there is no exactly standardized seat layout, legroom, etc. as if there was only one type of Flixbus.
The Flixbuses I travelled on all had acceptable leg room, WiFi, power/USB... snacks/beverages for sale, though not a huge selection, and more the candy bar type of snacks than real sandwiches or similar.
As the whole trip is just 3 1/2 hours, I would not hesitate to take the bus.
Just make sure that you pick the nonstop services - not the ones that need more than 4 1/2 hours.
In Berlin, you can get off at
SXF (which means Berlin Schönefeld Airport, probably not where you want to go),
Südkreuz (change for suburban trains to the Eastern city center)
or at the terminus, the central bus station (subway to the Western city center), not Berlin Hbf, the central rail station.
Which of the latter two stops is the right one for you depends on the location of your accomodation.
Last edited by Cowboy1968; May 24th, 2019 at 02:46 PM.
May 25th, 2019, 02:53 AM
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Clear enough if you use Google translate at https://www.intercity.pl/pl/site/o-n...n04201912.html
Some trains get a bus substitute between Berlin Hbf & the border at Frankfurt (Oder).
Some trains run direct, but diverted.
Bahn.de/enn should show the alterations, Personally, I;d avoid the bus and look for the diverted trains, even if a bit longer.
Some trains get a bus substitute between Berlin Hbf & the border at Frankfurt (Oder).
Some trains run direct, but diverted.
Bahn.de/enn should show the alterations, Personally, I;d avoid the bus and look for the diverted trains, even if a bit longer.
May 27th, 2019, 07:28 AM
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Thanks, I think Flixbus took over some Polish bus company, or at least they are operating their buses now, from what I've read. IT is a direct bus and really takes only about 15-20 minutes longer than the train.
The PKP website has an English flag, the language isn't really the issue, and I know enough Polish to read schedules and stuff, actually. It says there are no trains at all after 7:40 am on the date I want in July. I think it's the particular date I want, there are trains the next day and some the days before. But that's the date I have to go, so not much I can do about that, unfortunately.
IN fact, that's one of the odd things, PKP shows no trains at all that day and bahn.de does show some, just not direct. this is July 20th. But the bahn.de website does seem to specify that trains at 8:30 and 10:29 will transfer to a regional train and go to the main station, and the train at 9:06 will go to a different station (Lichtenberg). That one is about twice as expensive anyway, so I wouldn't take that one.
I'll just have to make up my mind, I guess, that transfer doesn't sound too bad since it doesn't add on an hour.
The PKP website has an English flag, the language isn't really the issue, and I know enough Polish to read schedules and stuff, actually. It says there are no trains at all after 7:40 am on the date I want in July. I think it's the particular date I want, there are trains the next day and some the days before. But that's the date I have to go, so not much I can do about that, unfortunately.
IN fact, that's one of the odd things, PKP shows no trains at all that day and bahn.de does show some, just not direct. this is July 20th. But the bahn.de website does seem to specify that trains at 8:30 and 10:29 will transfer to a regional train and go to the main station, and the train at 9:06 will go to a different station (Lichtenberg). That one is about twice as expensive anyway, so I wouldn't take that one.
I'll just have to make up my mind, I guess, that transfer doesn't sound too bad since it doesn't add on an hour.
Jul 26th, 2019, 10:16 AM
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well, I'm back from my trip so just thought I"d post a report on using Flixbus from Poznan to Berlin.
It worked great, I have no regrets on doing that rather than the train transfer, etc. And it was super cheap, only about 15 euro, and I could pick out my seat online when I bought my tickets. Boarding was easy in Poznan, the dedicated bus terminal is right next to the train station, with screens showing the number of the bus bay for each bus by time and destination. The bus was comfortable enough, I suppose a train would have a little more leg room which might be nice for a really long journey. Scenery was pleasant enough, lots of pine tree forests along that major autoroute.
In fact, the bus was easier to navigate boarding than the train I had to take from Gdansk to Poznan as their train station was having construction and signs were really confusing as to how you got to certain quays. Luckily, I made it as all signs were only in Polish which I don't know that well to read the entire explanation about the quays. I understood the word danger in Polish, though, just not what to do. Anyway, I know enough POlish that I could ask several people if they understood English well enough to explain to me what was going on and it worked out, but getting that bus was a lot easier as you just stepped on from the parking spot.
The bus schedule said it was about 3 hours, which is about an hour or more shorter than all the trains. As it turned out, it did take almost 4 hrs due to a traffic accident on the highway at one point and then some road construction. Both those probably took up about a half hour. Otherwise, traffic entering Berlin was heavier than I would have thought in some points on a Saturday afternoon, and I would guess that might be normal, so probably 3.5 hrs would be a normal real estimate and they underestimated a bit.
All in all, a fine experience with no complaints and super cheap (only 15 euro ticket).
It worked great, I have no regrets on doing that rather than the train transfer, etc. And it was super cheap, only about 15 euro, and I could pick out my seat online when I bought my tickets. Boarding was easy in Poznan, the dedicated bus terminal is right next to the train station, with screens showing the number of the bus bay for each bus by time and destination. The bus was comfortable enough, I suppose a train would have a little more leg room which might be nice for a really long journey. Scenery was pleasant enough, lots of pine tree forests along that major autoroute.
In fact, the bus was easier to navigate boarding than the train I had to take from Gdansk to Poznan as their train station was having construction and signs were really confusing as to how you got to certain quays. Luckily, I made it as all signs were only in Polish which I don't know that well to read the entire explanation about the quays. I understood the word danger in Polish, though, just not what to do. Anyway, I know enough POlish that I could ask several people if they understood English well enough to explain to me what was going on and it worked out, but getting that bus was a lot easier as you just stepped on from the parking spot.
The bus schedule said it was about 3 hours, which is about an hour or more shorter than all the trains. As it turned out, it did take almost 4 hrs due to a traffic accident on the highway at one point and then some road construction. Both those probably took up about a half hour. Otherwise, traffic entering Berlin was heavier than I would have thought in some points on a Saturday afternoon, and I would guess that might be normal, so probably 3.5 hrs would be a normal real estimate and they underestimated a bit.
All in all, a fine experience with no complaints and super cheap (only 15 euro ticket).
