• lime!
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    4 hours ago

    we were trying to keep costs down, the total trip had something like 15 changeovers, three in germany, and cost us €800.

    i am european, i mostly travel by train, and we have mandatory seat reservation at no charge for intercity trains. if you don’t select a seat, one is assigned to you. when there are no more seats, no more tickets are sold.

    it would never in a million years occur to me that people would be left without a place to sit for a nine hour trip. that’s just inhumane.

    also, it would never in a million years occur to me that you could be fined for buying a ticket and a seat through the official system.

    what you’re describing is how regional trains work. not long haul express trains.

    • albert180@discuss.tchncs.de
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      4 hours ago

      we were trying to keep costs down, the total trip had something like 15 changeovers, three in germany, and cost us €800.

      Sounds like an Interrail Pass would have cheaper, and more flexible

      what you’re describing is how regional trains work. not long haul express trains.

      No that’s how Trains in all of Europe work with the Exception of

      • France
      • Italy
      • Spain
      • Norway
      • Sweden
      • Poland

      i am european, i mostly travel by train, and we have mandatory seat reservation at no charge for intercity trains.

      Yeah I doubt this part seriously, unless you only travelled in the countries listed above

      it would never in a million years occur to me that people would be left without a place to sit for a nine hour trip. that’s just inhumane

      No it’s inhumane to deny them boarding and don’t transport them for hours, days weeks or months just because seats are sold out, like they do in France.

      People want to get home or to their family, or an important meeting,even when they can’t have a seat. (E.g. when it was spontaneous, an emergency, or they missed the last train)

      Everyone can have a guaranteed seat for their entire journey for 5.20€

      also, it would never in a million years occur to me that you could be fined for buying a ticket and a seat through the official system.

      Yeah that’s bullshit too, they won’t sell you a first class seat to your second class ticket when trying to book a seat during the booking process of the ticket. You have to explicitly select first class on the Website, and then tick “I only want a seat reservation” and then it shows them to you. Also 6.50€ for a first class seat for 9h Long distance travel, would have given you a clue that this is not an upgrade. If unsure you could have asked the staff in the train which ALWAYS sits and has their office between first and second class in those trains.