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Trains in Germany & Holland

Joseph Bulloch2022-06-26 19:39:22

Hi All,

We’re making our way to this year’s International Rally by rail and have a booking on a train from Amsterdam to Osnabruck.

We have used trains in the Netherlands and Germany with our tandem before without any issue, this time however we would quite like to take our Hase Pino rather than our Thorn tandem. Given that the Pino is not a conventional tandem I’m not sure whether we could encounter difficulties transporting it by train. 

If anyone has any experience of taking a Pino on the train is those countries I appreciate hearing about it.

Dirk Braun2022-06-26 22:07:32

Hi Joseph, living in Germany we took our Pino on the train many times. On long distance trains you have to make a compulsory reservation for the Pino. We took it with us without any problems. Only once the officer made us hook the front wheel exactly into the rack of the Intercity which was a bit difficult.

On regional trains you can usually take it without any problems. These months may be very crowded though because of the 9 Euro ticket we have since June (pay 9€ and travel anywhere in Germany for a month on regional trains). If the trains get too crowded they do not take any bikes at busy times on popular routes.

Hope this helps. Good luck, Dirk

Charles Kendall2022-06-27 12:01:16
If you are planning to get the through train, like the IC145 from Amsterdam Central to Osnabrück, the 9 euro tickets are not valid so it might be less crowded, but you need a reservation for the bike as well. The Deutsche Bahn web site is available in english and is really easy to book an e-ticket.
Charles Kendall2022-06-27 12:04:35

I have just checked the rules for carrying bikes including a tandem on DB trains. Yes for IC trains you need to reserve a place for the tandem. However it does specifically say that for tandems and reclining bikes you need to use trains with higher capacity for carrying bikes and to check with a DB Travel Centre. Yes, its a bit vague but the Travel Centre will help. I think it possible to likely, they would not allow you to reserve for a tandem on the through train, the IC (=Inter City), so you may have to use the Regional trains and change a couple of times.

If you need help in phoning a DB Travel Centre, I can help. I have booked tandems before via the DB Travel Centre.

Charles Kendall2022-06-27 12:04:35

I have just checked the rules for carrying bikes including a tandem on DB trains. Yes for IC trains you need to reserve a place for the tandem. However it does specifically say that for tandems and reclining bikes you need to use trains with higher capacity for carrying bikes and to check with a DB Travel Centre. Yes, its a bit vague but the Travel Centre will help. I think it possible to likely, they would not allow you to reserve for a tandem on the through train, the IC (=Inter City), so you may have to use the Regional trains and change a couple of times.

If you need help in phoning a DB Travel Centre, I can help. I have booked tandems before via the DB Travel Centre.

R.N. Goodman2022-06-27 12:11:44

We have just returned from a trip from Germany to Italy.  Definitely recommend the DeutchesBahn website.  We hoped to return by train (Verona to Augsburg) but as others have said the intercity trains need reservations for bicycles.  I was unable to get any space back to Germany despite trying to book over three weeks ahead.  I spoke to DB customer services who helpfully checked all trains over a 3 day period and no bicycle spaces were available - all booked solid!  Lesson is to book well in advance!

Regional trains you take your chances and buy a bike ticket - the cycle space was large and we had no problem with our tandem on a shorter journey (Fussen to Augsburg after an expensive bikeshuttle coach back through Austria).  We were warned that the 9 euro ticket deal meant German trains were busy but I guess it will be dependent on the route and the time of day.

Joseph Bulloch2022-06-27 22:31:01

We booked our trains a few months ago using the DB booking line and explained then that we required a reservation for a tandem so fortunately we have that part of it covered.  My only concern was that the Pino is rather unconventional that we might have difficulty with that particular bike. Now that I have read through all of the excellent comments posted above I am now much more comfortable about taking it on the train.

Charles Kendall2022-06-28 14:19:38
You've done really well. I think with the Pino you will not have a problem if you have a reservation. Of course you will need to remove the bags. I also sometimes rotate the handlebars of the stoker to make maneuvering easier.