BabsB

I have printed off the Die Bahn Personal Timetable for 15.10.06 and would like to take the shortest trip somewhat early in the morning. The timetable lists a train leaving Aachen at 6:49 and arriving at Koln Messe/Deutz at 7:53. There is then a 10 minute walk to Koln Messe/Deutz GI.11-12. The train then leaves at 8:12. What is GI.11-12? Is it in the same station just a different track or is it a different station? Any one know? Thanks Barb

logos999

Gl.11-12? = Track(platform) 11-12
If you have further problems on that site, don't forget the umlaut.
Koln is in fact Köln or Koeln
Wurzburg doesn't exist either. The name is Würzburg or Wuerzburg. Those dots make a big difference (when you use the Bahn search engine). It's Fuessen or Füssen and never!!! Fussen by the way

BabsB

Thanks logos999, very helpful. Barb

hopscotch

According to the Thomas Cook European Timetable your train stops at Köln Haupbahnhof and rests for 10 minutes. Then it goes on to Köln Messe/Deutz station on the east side of the Rhine. That is a 3 minute trip. Get off there and look for your train to Würzburg.

Directing you to Gleise 11/12 is a bit confusing since these are two different tracks, 11 and 12. You will have 19 minutes, plenty of time, to figure it out. Or ask the conductor on the Aachen-Köln train for help.

Suggestion, even though you want the shortest trip. Get off at Köln Hbf and see the city for a couple of hours. The Dom is just outside the station and is one of the most outstanding cathedrals of Europe. Trains go to Würzburg every two hours.

BabsB

hopscotch, thank you for the info. We will actually be visiting Koln on our way from Bacharach to Aachen, wouldn't miss it. Regards Barb

WallyKringen

You arrive at and leave from within the same station - Koeln Messe/Deutz. You get in on the upper level, track 2, and you leave from the lower level, track 11.

In detail:

Your train from Aachen at 06:49 is a slow regional one that stops in 8 places before it gets to Koeln Messe/Deutz. One of those stops is the main central station Koeln Hauptbahnhof where it stands for exactly 9 minutes - don't get off.

Get off at the next one, Koeln Messe/Deutz, you get in on track 2 at 07:53, and you leave at 08:12 from Gleis/Track 11 down below with the ICE 721 that comes from Dortmund and, like quite a few fast trains now, does not go to Koeln Hauptbahnhof but uses Messe/Deutz as its Koeln stop.

(That's to avoid crossing the Hohenzollernbridge twice, coming and going, and also avoiding a change of direction in Koeln Hbf).

The only walking you have to do is to go below the level where you arrive, to Deutz-Tief (tief means deep), where the new lower-level tracks 11 and 12 serve the ICE trains like yours. You'll have 19 minutes to cover what shouldn't take more than 5 minutes.

If you have reserved a seat on the ICE, look at the posters that display the carriage numbers as they will pull in, you can already position yourself so that you'll be waiting pretty much where your carriage number will come to a stop.

The ICE 721 gets you to Wuerzburg at 10:26, after making four stops: Montabaur, Frankfurt (M) airport, Frankfurt (M) Sued ( = south), and Aschaffenburg.

Keinen Kummer - no worries.

WK

BabsB

Wow WallyKringen, I appreciate the exact details. Hey, you want to plan my whole trip? Thank you. Barb

WallyKringen

Only if you take me along...

WK