Trains Connection Time (DB Bahn)
 

Dear all,
I want to travel from Bremen to Berlin. I am getting decent tickets at DB bahn. Mostly all of the train options have layover at Hamburg.
But the connection time is like varying between 6mins - 12 mins for almost all of them. Isn't that like too short a connection time?

I will be in Germany to attend a conference. I am coming from India and hence not a regular european traveler. This is really bothering me a bit. This short a traveling time does not feel right for a tourist in Europe.

Kindly let me know your views and any other way around for this.

Thanks & Regards,
Pulkit

Hi Pulkit7,

I live in Germany and travel by rail all the time. Please feel secure -- if the DB system gives you a connection time, it is engineered to be viable/doable for all people under normal conditions (no physical handicap, etc).

The connection will be easiest if you don't have a lot of luggage. I normally travel with a rolling suitcase around 24" plus a backpack, and that's easy for me to make the connection (I'm a 61-year-old, slight woman).

All you'll need to do is to read the clock and to read the track numbers so you can get to the right track number at the right time. Oh, it can also be helpful to know the final destination of your train, but the larger intermediate stops will also be shown on the departure board.

Have fun as you plan!

s

Same experience. Also note that the track is indicated on your your ticket. You don't have to look for it.
I have never missed a connection in Germany.

You don't have to take the proposed itinerary. There is a button to change the connection duration.

When do you plan to travel?

You should see one connection per hour via Hamburg and one per hour via Hannover.
None have such short connection times, but rather 17-26 minutes, depending in which city you connect.

The connections via Hannover are a few minutes faster than going via Hamburg. Plus Hannover central station is very easy to navigate and not as cramped as Hamburg central.

The track may be listed on your ticket, but you do have to look for it at the train station to find the right track where you must go to board.

Generally, when trains have a short connection time, they are planned so they have quays or tracks right next to each other or very close. If you've never taken a train before in Europe, you generally have to look at some overhead electronic signboards that announce trains and the track they board on.

Wow. First of all, Thanks for the informative replies guys. Fodors community is clearly very helpful.

So there is a ticket available with 24mins connection time. It seems that 24mins is the best best I have and all your replies point me to the understanding that there should not be much problem while switching trains in that much time.
There are two options on that time. One through Hannover and one through Hamburg. I don't think either should be a problem.

@greg What do you mean by "button to change the connection duration"?

Regards,
Pulkit

If you click "Show details", it shows the connection info. Between two trains, there is a line:
"Transfer time ... min. > Adjust the transfer time"
If you click that, it give you an option to choose a later train.
You can accomplish the same by simply ganging together different segments that work together.

The transfers will go best if you are ready to exit when the train comes into the station. The norm in Germany is that off-loading passengers exit first and then on-loading passengers board. If you are still collecting your bags as new passengers are boarding, it is like being a fish swimming upstream.

Know what time you are due to exit and you will usually notice other passengers collecting at the exit doors. Join them.