Changing trains in Poznan

goutThreads: 1 Joined: Aug 10, 10 ♂	Aug 10, 10, 03:17 #1
I will be traveling by train from Berlin to Leszno via Poznan with my 85yo mother. The shortest itinerary includes only 5 minutes to change trains in Poznan. Is this enough time or should I a choose an itinerary with a longer time in Poznan?

dnzThreads: 25 Posts: 806 Joined: Dec 2, 07 ♂	Aug 10, 10, 04:40 #2
You should be fine changing in 5 minutes, Does it say which platform your connection goes from in advance? Anyway trains from Poznan to Leszno are quite regular so even if you miss your connection you'll be fine.

ikes	Aug 10, 10, 11:45 #3
In this summer 2 of 3 long distance trains I travelled were more than 5 mins late for no obvious reason. Can't say if that was just unusually bad luck, but I wouldn't count on catching that connection if I were you...

Karen79Threads: 1 Posts: 3 Joined: Aug 10, 10 ♀	Aug 10, 10, 16:14 #4
I agree with ikes; 5 minutes is not enough if we are talking about Polish railways;

WroclawThreads: 74 Posts: 7,272 Joined: Apr 1, 06 ♂ [Moderator]	Aug 10, 10, 18:08 #5
sometimes the out-going train waits for the in-coming train. it's the berlin train that's likely to be late. Also, you might not have to change platforms.

♂

Edited by: jwojcie Aug 11, 10, 13:00 #6

gout:

The shortest itinerary includes only 5 minutes to change trains in Poznan. Is this enough time or should I a choose an itinerary with a longer time in Poznan?

In my opinion you have less than 50% chance to make it, especially with an old lady. Try to ask train staff what are your chances. They usually know things like if they will be on time and if the other train is waiting and on wich platform.

PS. But be carefull what kind of ticket you have, there are about tree different rail companies on this route. If you will have wrong ticket, you will have to buy another one (you will can get part of the money back on the station though why bother with that..). So, about an hour before arrival time to Poznan, with your ticket in hand and maybe along with some good soul speaking both polish and english go to the conductor and ask him what are your options.

♂

Aug 11, 10, 13:22 #7

jwojcie:

In my opinion you have less than 50% chance to make it, especially with an old lady.

I agree. Poznan station is quite big, and there are plenty of steps and a lot of walking. I'm young-ish and fit, but still wouldn't want to chance it and certainly not with luggage. It's probably better to choose a different connection. If there's a lot of waiting time, it's no tragedy since there are quite a few cafes etc in the station.

♂

Aug 11, 10, 13:28 #8

jwojcie:

In my opinion you have less than 50% chance to make it, especially with an old lady. Try to ask train staff what are your chances. They usually know things like if they will be on time and if the other train is waiting and on wich platform.

My girldfriend recently wanted to take a train journey which involved a connection in Poznan which had six minutes between trains. The man at the ticket office in Warsaw (the office, not one of the windows) said that he could sell us the ticket but there was no way he'd take that journey himself because the trains were different companies and if the first one was late, the second one certainly would not wait for it. She ended up flying to Gdansk and getting a train from there.

♂

Aug 11, 10, 17:15 #9

Harry:

The man at the ticket office in Warsaw (the office, not one of the windows) said that he could sell us the ticket but there was no way he'd take that journey himself because the trains were different companies and if the first one was late, the second one certainly would not wait for it.

Yep. Relying on a short connection between PKP Intercity and Przewozy Regionalne is not a good idea at all - take the train with the

The crucial thing to note is that there are different fares for each class of train - the best advice is to buy the Leszno ticket in Poznan rather than onboard the Berlin train. If you let us know your planned itinery, I'll tell you what you need - the type of train is *very* important when buying tickets.

jonniThreads: 26 Posts: 4,189 Joined: Nov 27, 07 ♂	Edited by: jonni Aug 11, 10, 17:24 #10
delphiandomine: the best advice is to buy the Leszno ticket in Poznan rather than onboard the Berlin train. Which is all the more reason not to have a five-minute window to change trains - the queues at Poznan Glowny can be quite long. I've been caught out by that myself.

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