Compensation for train journey rerouting due to track-work (Sweden–Germany)?
- By
- Aparna Patel
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- 5 Aug, 2023
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Due to urgent construction work in Germany, SJ EuroNight services will be affected from March 3 to 19.
The SJ Euronight will depart and arrive at Pinneberg station north of Hamburg. Please make sure to reach Pinneberg station on time and note the new departure times of these services.
To get to and from Pinneberg, you need to take the S-bahn (metro service). During this period, the ticket for the SJ Euronight will be valid on the S-bahn route Pinneberg – Hamburg Altona – Hamburg Hbf.
Please note that you must take the S-bahn earlier from Hamburg Altona to get to Pinneberg before the train’s departure time. With all overground rail lines to and from Hamburg-Altona blocked, Pinneberg is only reachable via the S-bahn.
Since DB’s long-distance services from the rest of Germany will also not be able to contact in Hamburg-Altona, the most suitable way to reach Pinneberg is via the Hamburg S-Bahn line S3. The S-Bahn avoids the problem due to its separate track ("Stromschiene").
Please be aware of the new departure times for the following services:
March 4 to 17
SJ Euronight services depart from Pinneberg Station platform 3 at 21:29 CET.March 18-19
SJ Euronight services now depart from Pinneberg Station platform 3 at 17:55 CET.
(Emphasis mine)
So S-Bahn ticket included, likely no other form of compensation, as the final delay should be below required minima.
On top of the S-Bahn being included in your ticket at not additional cost because of the re-routing, you’re also potentially eligible for compensation if you arrive later than planned.
If you arrive more than an hour later than planned at Hamburg-Altona, you’re eligible to 25% of the ticket price: https://www.sj.se/en/compensation-rights.html
You can ask the train attendant for the relevant form during the journey, or apply online.
When you have a ticket from A to B the railway commits itself to getting you to B. So if a change in operation of train means that you cannot get to B on the original train they must just offer you an alternative.
In this case SJ has offered you an alternative: the S-Bahn from Pinnenberg. That they did not "book" it for you is because there is no such thing as a booking for an S-Bahn. You just take the S-Bahn, and if you were to happen to encounter a conductor (those trains operate without) you can just show your train ticket.
So to reach my original destination, I’ll need to take a short extra S-Bahn journey. Should I be eligible for reimbursement for this extra cost?
No, in the large majority of the transport world, a delay is calculated to your original destination, which means that a route change would likely count in an eventual delay compensation. So, you would need to be forced to arrive at Altona one hour late to claim it
The travel time from Pinneberg to Altona is ~25 min, which is far from the 1h min. that would be needed to claim a delay compensation.
Now, it is possible that some conditions at SJ would allow them to give you a ticket (look at the email, it may contain information about what you are supposed to do)
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Credit:stackoverflow.com‘