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Messages - Maxy

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31
Train fares and tariffs / TER-GV (near Lille) and NRT ticket
« on: July 19, 2014, 11:57:16 pm »
I'm planning to use TER-GV trains between Dunkerque and Lille:

Two inobvious things

-many sources, including timetable booklette downlodable from sncf website, for example this one or this one page of ter-sncf website states, that High-speed supplement is needed for usage of TER-GV. At the same time - purchase module of SNCF website shows the same price (15,30) to all TER services between Dunkerkque and Lille (without any special mark on TER-GV services, all them are marked as just TER, including those, which has travel time about half hour instead hour and no stops and arrival to Lille-Europe instead of Flandes - those obvously are TER-GV). Is this high-speed supplement really needed?

-If the answer to previous question is "yes" - my 2nd question - if this TER-GV supplement is needed in case of usage NRT ticket (purchased in Germany)

32
I've created the topic on NS forum and despite other forum mebers had doubt about validity, but NS-moderator replied, the ticket is valid for travel via Haarlem
https://forum.ns.nl/de-trein-11/europa-spezial-niederlande-validity-and-zugbinding-netherlands-3064/

33
Hi, I was trying to optimize expendidures for following section of my travel: Duesseldorf - Arnhem (stopover 1 day) - Utrecht (stopover 1 day) - Amsterdam (stopover 2 days) - Haarlem (stopover few hours) - Leiden (stopover few hours) - Gouda (stopover few hours) - Rotterdam/Utrecht/Delft (stopover 2 days total for this agglomeration) - Roosendaal

I decided that I can try to cover all this by Europa Spezial Niederlande.

Last year I've did similar trick for Switzerland with Europa Spezial Schweiz and it was fine (zugbinding in ticket was only for ICE from Germany to Switherland and further long route by Switherland without zugbinding and ticket was valid for 1 month, so I've spend wonderful 9 days in Switherland using this ticket for section. But the ticket was purchased in counter (I had possibility to visit DB counter 2 month before my travel started).

This year I decided to attemtp to repeat the same trick for my new travel to Benilux, but difference was that this year I'm not able to buy ticket on DB train station in advance, so I decided to purchase online via DB website.

I managed to made DB website to show itineary with route in Netherlands Arnhem - Utrecht - Amsterdam - Haarlem - Leiden - Den Haag - Rotterdam - Roosendaal (it was not possible to make it Leiden - Rotterdam via Leiden instead via Den Haag using only 2 Ueber fields of DB website, but it's not a big issue, I've decided to purchase domestic tickets on this sections, because they are short and thus inexpensive) and purchased it online.

Probably my mistake was that I've choosen ticket delivery method as DB online ticket (PDF printable on A4), because I've never seen before how DB online ticket with zugbindung looks like and hoped it has same information like paper ticket.

But result was a little bit different as I expected.


As you can see - field VIA contains only
<1080>D-Hbf 7:42 ICE 222 VIA: Emmerich (Gr)<1184>


I hoped to get ticket with VIA containind something like
VIA <1080>D-Hbf 7:42 ICE 222 VIA: Emmerich (Gr)<1184>haarlem*rotterdam c.
and no other trains to be mentioned in zugbinding except ICE222 for first section. But VIA has no explanation of further route in Netherlands, but in bottom under "Ihre Reiseverbindung und Reservierung Hinfahrt am 24.07.2014" special trains are shown for domestic part within Netherlands, which is absolutely ruins my plans  - I was not expecting that my ticket will contain specific train after Arnhem  so I've choosen them on DB website not accurate, additionally accurate choosing on all section was impossible while you have just 2 Ueber fields.)

My questions are:

1. does the conditions of Europa Spezial Schweiz and Europa Spezial Nederlande differs and zugbinding in Netherlands exist. Or just specific trains for Netherlands part of my travel is result of usage of online ticket instead of paper ticket? Or may be my fears are vain and I can use any train in Netherlands in any day of my ticket validity period (15 days from 24 Jul to 07 Aug)?

2. Is there a possibility to convert already purchased Europa Spezial which was purchased as DB Online Ticket to paper ticket.
For example I can see DB Auftragsnummer on my online ticket. I've read that in some cases this number is possible to enter to DB ticket machine and get paper ticket. May be this will work in my case and I'll get paper ticket similar to the ticket I've had last year for Switzerland (with zugbinding only for ICE used on first section and route on Netherland part specified just by intermediate station in VIA field)

34
I'm trying to find what is optimal ticket to travel this route if I like to make stopovers for 1-2 days in Antwerp, Gent, Brugge.

I've discovered that SNCB sells on their website cheaper Roosendaal-ticket and it's possible to buy from Roosendaal to any Belgian station, the price is cheaper than NRT (for example 6,1 EUR instead of 8,6 EUR of NRT ticket for Roosendaal - Antwerp or 22,5 EUR instead of 29,8 EUR for Roosendaal - Knokke). But I afraid validity term of this Roosendaal ticket may be not 15 days like NRT ticket have, but probably only 1 day, right? If my fear is right - that means optimal solution is 6,1 EUR Ropsendaal-ticket Roosendaal - Antwerp and domestic tickets Antwerp - Gent, Gent - Brugge, Brugge - Knokke (because their prices 9,4+6,5+3,7 are in total cheaper than direct NRT ticket Antwerp - Knokke). Have I missed whatever and there is better solution?

Other question: if it is possible to buy Roosendal-ticket on the station before departure in the Netherlands? I afraid it is not possible, because for example nsinternational.nl shows price 8,6 which is normal NRT fare.

35
Train fares and tariffs / Re: Poland EC reservation
« on: January 13, 2012, 03:43:57 pm »
I know that reservation isn't obligatory if passenger travels on international route with EC,
In Poland?
Are you sure?

The order you write about - applies in some countries, for example in Hungary.
But in Poland - reservation in EC is obligatory even in international connection, AFAIK

36
what about buses? Any regular bus connection instead?
Well, maybe Maxy can correct us, but we didn't find any regular cross-border bus lines in that region. Even buses like Przemysl-Stryj go not via Nyzhankovychi-Khyriv, but via more common Medyka-Shegyni, so it's actually might be a difficult task to travel by public transport from Sanok to Khyriv via Kroscienko-Smilnytsia border crossing
Among buses from bus stations - I'm sure only about bus Truskavets - Plzen - it uses border-crossing in Smilnytsia-Kroscienko, but this bus doesn't have tariff stops in Poland - so minimal possible travel on this bus is Smilnytsia - Hradec Kralove - from last Ukrainian stop to first stop in Czech Republic :-(

Ustrzyky Dolne is known destination among Leopolitans for skiing, so some tourist agencies in Lviv provide "charter" buses Lviv - Ustrzyky Dolne. Buying only bus transfer (without hotel in Ustrzyky and other tourist services) is usually possible, paying only for OW transfer - too, but the problem is to find the agency that arrange a transfer in the day you need and deal with them. It can be not an easy for foreigner.

37
Yes, trains from Poland to Khyriv was canceled and no hope for it to be renewed.

Now it is possible to travel by rails between Poland and Ukraine only in sleeping cars of long-distance trains. No local trains and even no seating cars in those long distance trains on crossborder section - border crossing between Poland and Ukraine is possible only in expensive sleepers. Slightly cheaper (but also it was overpriced for crossborder riding) "platzkartny" cars, which were in train 51/52 - have also been canceled since last month.

38
Train fares and tariffs / Re: TCV tariffs per country
« on: September 28, 2011, 05:26:56 pm »
No, TCV like most other railway tariffs is not linear, but regressive (price rise slower, than distance). Tariff tables contains distances and corresponding price for 1st and 2nd class.
For example

------------------------------------------------------------------
|Distance, km |  Full fare        |Distance, km|  Full fare      |
|             |-------------------|            |-----------------|
|             |2nd cl.  |1st cl.  |            |2nd cl. |1st cl. |
|-------------+---------+---------+------------+--------+--------|
|1-10         |  2,00   |  3,00   |301-350     |  21,17 |  31,67 |
|-------------+---------+---------+------------+--------+--------|
|11-20        |  2,50   |  3,67   |351-400     |  23,17 |  34,67 |
|-------------+---------+---------+------------+--------+--------|
|21-30        |  2,83   |  4,17   |401-450     |  24,83 |  37,17 |
|-------------+---------+---------+------------+--------+--------|
|31-40        |  3,33   |  5,00   |451-500     |  25,50 |  38,17 |
|-------------+---------+---------+------------+--------+--------|
|41-50        |  3,83   |  5,67   |501-550     |  27,17 |  40,67 |
|-------------+---------+---------+------------+--------+--------|
|51-60        |  4,33   |  6,50   |551-600     |  28,83 |  43,17 |
|-------------+---------+---------+------------+--------+--------|
|61-70        |  5,00   |  7,50   |601-650     |  30,67 |  46,00 |
|-------------+---------+---------+------------+--------+--------|
|71-80        |  5,50   |  8,17   |651-700     |  32,50 |  48,67 |
|-------------+---------+---------+------------+--------+--------|
|81-90        |  6,33   |  9,50   |701-800     |  36,17 |  54,17 |
|-------------+---------+---------+------------+--------+--------|
|91-100       |  6,67   |  10,00  |801-900     |  37,83 |  56,67 |
|-------------+---------+---------+------------+--------+--------|
|101-110      |  8,83   |  13,17  |901-1000    |  40,00 |  60,00 |
|-------------+---------+---------+------------+--------+--------|
|111-120      |  9,00   |  13,50  |1001-1100   |  43,67 |  65,50 |
|-------------+---------+---------+------------+--------+--------|
|121-130      |  9,50   |  14,17  |1101-1200   |  45,33 |  68,00 |
|-------------+---------+---------+------------+--------+--------|
|131-140      |  10,17  |  15,17  |1201-1300   |  47,33 |  71,00 |
|-------------+---------+---------+------------+--------+--------|
|141-150      |  10,50  |  15,67  |1301-1400   |  49,83 |  74,67 |
|-------------+---------+---------+------------+--------+--------|
|151-160      |  11,00  |  16,50  |1401-1500   |  51,67 |  77,50 |
|-------------+---------+---------+------------+--------+--------|
|161-170      |  11,50  |  17,17  |1501-1600   |  53,17 |  79,67 |
|-------------+---------+---------+------------+--------+--------|
|171-180      |  12,00  |  18,00  |1601-1700   |  55,33 |  83,00 |
|-------------+---------+---------+------------+--------+--------|
|181-190      |  12,33  |  18,50  |1701-1900   |  59,33 |  89,00 |
|-------------+---------+---------+------------+--------+--------|
|191-200      |  14,17  |  21,17  |1901-2100   |  66,83 | 100,17 |
|-------------+---------+---------+------------+--------+--------|
|201-250      |  15,83  |  23,67  |2101-2300   |  70,33 | 105,50 |
|-------------+---------+---------+------------+--------+--------|
|251-300      |  17,83  |  26,67  |2301-2500   |  74,00 | 111,00 |
------------------------------------------------------------------

The example above is not real TCV (I don't know where to get TCV tariff tables), it is Ukrainian East-West tariff, but TCV tables should be very similar.

39
Train fares and tariffs / Re: Moscow-St Petersburg overnighters
« on: June 13, 2011, 07:24:35 pm »
For riding single and with private shower - 1Г of Grand Express is cheaper than 1M of Red Arrow. More cheap single with private shower - only 1M in 003/004 "Express"

Many thanks for those usueful details.

What about 1H on Grand Express? Does itonly include a washbasin?
no, there are no private shower. It is special car, but only good thing in it is big beds.
Normally it is sold as 1H (price for whole compartment, 2 places), but if you want to travel alone they propose whole comparment as single cheper (and quite stupid, it has mark 1Л, I've already told about this - it is not usual SV like 1Л in any other train, but in case of GrandExpress 1Л is this car
http://grandexpress.ru/ru/kupe3.php
well 1H - is also such car but for 2 passengers per compartment
).

40
Train fares and tariffs / Re: Moscow-St Petersburg overnighters
« on: June 12, 2011, 11:32:39 pm »
Quote
Is that only 1A/1M or can it be available in 1Б?
As far as we know, there is no bathroom in any 1Б, those are only in VIP carriages the ticket for which cost like 3-4 times more.
Exactly, usual SV car doesn't have any shower neither private nor shared. Thus neither in normal 1Л (=usual SV) nor in 1Б (which has difference with 1Л only in set of included meals or additions) there will be no shower.

These cars has compartments for 2 persons, and if you want to ride single - normally you must buy 2 places so that means to pay double price.

In case of relatively cheaper cars (1Б, 1Л) - the listed price - is the price of 1 place (to ride single - you must buy both places in compartment) and the places are sold separately.

It case of more expensive cars (1A, 1М) - the listed price - the price for both places - the wholecompartment (you can enter data of 1 or 2 people - price will be the same, anyway you'll be given 2 places).

The only exclusion is Grand Express - they have special proposal for single use which is cheaper than buying for 2 people

So private shower available not only in 1A/1M, but also in 1И (but it is more expensive, the difference with 1A is only in additions - better meals set, better linen) and 1Г (1Г - is Grand Express single prorosal, car is absolutely the same like 1M).

For riding single and with private shower - 1Г of Grand Express is cheaper than 1M of Red Arrow. More cheap single with private shower - only 1M in 003/004 "Express"

41
Train fares and tariffs / Re: Moscow-St Petersburg overnighters
« on: June 12, 2011, 12:45:28 am »
Checking express3 is a very interesting exercise

On Moscow-St Petersburg, there are unexpectedly quite many night trains, but it's getting a bit hard to make up my mind (apart than "Grand Express" which seems a bit overrated).
it is true for most cars of Grand Express, but not for all.
Grand Express apart their exclusive cars has alse some usual cars with relatively moderate prices - they are not so cheap as non-branded trains (but on this direction there are usually no non-branded train with good departure/arrival time), but cheaper than "Red Arrow" (well, it is normal, "Red Arrow" has special cars and higher price is normal) and cheaper than other branded trains (like train №4 and some others, which are often worse, tha those generic cars of Grand Express).
Quote

Which ones shall I favour?

Well if the price will suit you - I can propose you to try train №002 "Red Arrow". It has special cars wich has more space in kupe - such cars were made specially for "Red Arrow", they have 8 kupe per 25,5 m car while in other trains standard car has  9 kupe per 24,5 m car - so you'll get kupe which is ~17% breiter.

Quote
What is the difference between 1Б "Business" and 1Л "Deluxe" ?
Normally the difference is in meails and other additions. In 1Л there are no meals (it is basic fare), but 1Б has a "business class" set of meals and some other additions (newspapers, hygienic set). The number of sets (it can be important in long yourneys can be seen after letter У, for example У1 - is one set). 1Б with У0 is also possible - than means that no meals provided, but only those additions, which are normally provided when meals are included.

Which will be those meals - usually is unknown which addition - is also always a surprice.
In case of "Grand Express" you can look to their site, they give detailed list.
But for other trains you'll never know if you'll got as an addition..

But, as you can see, these included meals and additions increase the price very seriously,so I can recomend you try to get 1Л always when possbile.

The only one notice about "Grand Express" - you can find that one car is 1Л and unexpectively is more expensive than other 1Б (normally 1Л is of course cheaper). Such situation is possible because this is not usual l SV car, but special car (it has the same capacity as SV, but there are breit good beds)
http://grandexpress.ru/ru/kupe3.php
it is the reason why it is more expensive. Other 1Б cars are usual SV with narrow beds).

42
Quote
p.s. just to give you one of the daylight itineraries: dep. Budapest 10:23 or 10:28 (in Zahony 14:57 and 15:27), catch 15:35 train to Chop, there at 16:52 (account time zone change), all the border/customs things in Chop will take around 20min, then catch 17:52 suburban train to Mukachevo (there 19:11). Departure earlier or later from Budapest also possible.
well, taking into account the effect of time zone change and the departure/arrival times of 'Tisza' (it's not perfect in both directions, but from Mukachevo to Budapest it is worse) - I think it will be smarter to ride from Budapest to Mukachevo overnight, using sleeping-car of 'Tisza', but have the day daytime riding when returning - for example something like this

Mukachevo 12:03 - Chop 13:23 - local train (the timetable in Ukraine will change since 29th May, but for this train serious changes are not exprected)

Chop 14:15 - 13:33 Zahony
(please note, you should come not latter than 30 min before departure for border and customs procedures).

Zahony 14:37 - 18:37 Budapest - IC623

43
The choice here is rather big - #608, #668, #60, #604, #142. Roughly saying 'kupe' (4 person compartment, 2nd class) cost from 69 to 73 UAH depending on train, 'platskartnyi' - from 49 to 53 UAH.
...
and all this prices include payment for bedding, which is not mandatory - and it is possible to exclude it from ticket price if you do not need bedding.

So, when using 668 from Chernivtsi to Lviv - it's a daytime ride, bedding is not needed, so you can ask to exclude bedding when buying a ticket - and price for 'platzkartny' without beddig is only 36 UAH

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