EC 175 "Berliner"
November 19, 2023
Hamburg Hbf 10.51 - Berlin Hbf 12.55
I was in Germany this past November, as I wanted to explore a few cities on my "to see" list and to cross off a bucket list item: visit a Christmas market. The early part of November was relatively warm for Germany but it was turning cold by this point. The weather had been on and off rain, with no snow while on this part of the trip. I had a great yet short and wet time in Hamburg, and needed to get to Berlin where I had an apartment for a few days to explore the city.
Because it was a two-hour trip, I bought a second-class ticket, semi-refundable, that included transport tickets for the day in Hamburg and Berlin. I had a Deutschland ticket so I didn't need the extra transport tickets, but it was still good to have in case I wasn't able to buy a D-ticket for the month. As I was running a tad behind schedule from leaving the hotel in the suburbs west of Altona, I didn't get any pictures of the Hauptbahnhof. However, it isn't a bad place to spend time before a train ride. Everything is indoors (unlike Hamburg-Altona where it's just covered) and there are plenty of shops and restaurants should you need something. It isn't a modern building like Berlin Hbf, but it's still in good order.
The platform was pretty crowded when the train rolled in to the station about five minutes behind schedule. I managed to board and find a place in the mid-car hold for my suitcase, but seats were filling up quite fast. In the end I had to rush to find a seat. For this particular trip, I wasn't worried about where I was sitting.
The seats in second class are fairly basic: probably the width of an airline seat, little if any recline (I didn't check), and fabric covered. Seat comfort is fine for a trip of this length. I didn't check for power but in second class it's either non-existent or one outlet between the seats for two people. The car I was in was open-plan, four seats per row - I wasn't in a compartment.
We depart a few minutes behind as we had a lot of passengers getting on; I'd probably say more than a few people were standing once we left Hamburg. We trundled on and people were milling about the aisle trying to find their reserved seats. Some discussions ensued as passengers found their seats and others were negotiating for seats. I did not spring for a seat reservation, as it wasn't worth the price. I read this train had "moderate" demand for seats as of the morning but this seemed a little full even for a EuroCity train.
So when we pull into the first stop outside of Hamburg around 11.30 local, and someone makes a gesture to me as if I am in their seat, I nod and offer the seat. I have other plans that I must attend to while on this train, so I set out for a different car and hopefully a less-crowded place to sit.
November 19, 2023
Hamburg Hbf 10.51 - Berlin Hbf 12.55
I was in Germany this past November, as I wanted to explore a few cities on my "to see" list and to cross off a bucket list item: visit a Christmas market. The early part of November was relatively warm for Germany but it was turning cold by this point. The weather had been on and off rain, with no snow while on this part of the trip. I had a great yet short and wet time in Hamburg, and needed to get to Berlin where I had an apartment for a few days to explore the city.
Because it was a two-hour trip, I bought a second-class ticket, semi-refundable, that included transport tickets for the day in Hamburg and Berlin. I had a Deutschland ticket so I didn't need the extra transport tickets, but it was still good to have in case I wasn't able to buy a D-ticket for the month. As I was running a tad behind schedule from leaving the hotel in the suburbs west of Altona, I didn't get any pictures of the Hauptbahnhof. However, it isn't a bad place to spend time before a train ride. Everything is indoors (unlike Hamburg-Altona where it's just covered) and there are plenty of shops and restaurants should you need something. It isn't a modern building like Berlin Hbf, but it's still in good order.
The platform was pretty crowded when the train rolled in to the station about five minutes behind schedule. I managed to board and find a place in the mid-car hold for my suitcase, but seats were filling up quite fast. In the end I had to rush to find a seat. For this particular trip, I wasn't worried about where I was sitting.
The seats in second class are fairly basic: probably the width of an airline seat, little if any recline (I didn't check), and fabric covered. Seat comfort is fine for a trip of this length. I didn't check for power but in second class it's either non-existent or one outlet between the seats for two people. The car I was in was open-plan, four seats per row - I wasn't in a compartment.
We depart a few minutes behind as we had a lot of passengers getting on; I'd probably say more than a few people were standing once we left Hamburg. We trundled on and people were milling about the aisle trying to find their reserved seats. Some discussions ensued as passengers found their seats and others were negotiating for seats. I did not spring for a seat reservation, as it wasn't worth the price. I read this train had "moderate" demand for seats as of the morning but this seemed a little full even for a EuroCity train.
So when we pull into the first stop outside of Hamburg around 11.30 local, and someone makes a gesture to me as if I am in their seat, I nod and offer the seat. I have other plans that I must attend to while on this train, so I set out for a different car and hopefully a less-crowded place to sit.
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