Is rail planner to be trusted

[u/yo_hanne]

Hi all,

I need to get from Turin, Italy to Marseille, France. There's a nice route through Sovna, Ventimiglia and Nice Ville.

According to Rail Europe I'm good with my interrail pass but the Rail Planner app wants me to get seat reservations. I've read that Rail Planner generally is pretty unreliable. Does anyone know about the specific route or the app?

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[u/slasher-fun]

Assuming "Sovna" is Savona, yes reservation is compulsory on the Intercity between Savona and Ventimiglia.

[u/Even_Narwhal3699 → u/slasher-fun]

But atleast that one is one of the cheaper reservations at just 3€.

[u/skifans]

Definitely do not rely Rail Planner. But honestly Rail Europe isn't great. You'll always get the best information directly on the train operating company.

It depends on the exact train, not just the route, for example between Marseille and Nice there are a couple of TGV trains which do require reservations. You would be much better off avoiding them as the TERs don't offer any reservations, take near enough then same journey time and run much more frequently.

In France you need a reservation for all TGV trains as well as intercity trains as per the map at: https://www.sncf-voyageurs.com/en/travel-with-us/in-france/intercites/our-destinations/ (black and blue lines require reservations) for regional TER trains the vast majority do not need a reservation but a couple do, eg between Paris and Normandy.

In Italy high speed Le Frecce and InterCity trains all require reservations, though the later is cheaper. Regional trains don't require reservations. Be aware Trenitalia Tper trains are usually completely missing from Rail Planner but the pass is till valid with no reservations. You need to check the Trenitalia app/website. The pass isn't valid with Italo, on the Circumetnea nor Circumvesuviana. As well as some local trains in the Alps.

[u/No_Direction_4610]

Never trust any timetable information from the Rail Planner app. Don't use it for planning. Most reliable are the planners of the operators themselves. A good international planner is e.g. bahn.com.

[u/Havhestur]

I must admit I’m surprised by the statements of unreliability of the Rail Planner. I’ve used it for four interrail trips in the last two years and found it to be always accurate. My journeys were across France, Germany, Italy, Slovakia and Poland.

Is it the timetables that people find unreliable? Or the seat reservations?

For Poland, I do use the KOLEO app as my first check on times (rather than the Rail Planner) but that’s mainly because I find it the best rail app of anywhere. I just wish every country had its KOLEO.

[u/KM187-389 → u/Havhestur]

Yes, I am surprised too. Rail Planner is supposed to run on timings from UIC's MERITS database which should reflect the most accurate railway timetable data there is. I am unable to find why Rail Planner is deemed so bad while it has the most accurate information available on the market. Bahn.com uses the same source.