Finding Your Train Platform in German
After this lesson you can ask which platform your train leaves from and understand the answer.
Do this first: W-questions
Finding Your Train Platform in German
A German station runs on four words: the track, the platform, the section and the carriage. Knowing them is the difference between standing at the right door and running down the train.
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Kulturnotiz
Germans stand where their carriage will stop. The Wagenstandanzeiger — a diagram on the platform showing where each carriage halts — is studied carefully, and people position themselves on the correct Abschnitt before the train arrives. Standing in a vague clump at the middle of the platform marks you out instantly; on an ICE with sixteen carriages, it also means a long walk down a moving corridor.
Common questions
+What is the difference between Gleis and Bahnsteig?
Gleis is the numbered track and the word used on tickets, boards and announcements. Bahnsteig is the physical platform, which often serves two Gleise. Ask about the Gleis.
+How do I ask which platform my train leaves from?
Von welchem Gleis fährt der Zug nach …? Literally "from which track does the train to … travel". Fahren, not gehen — trains travel, they do not walk.
+What do the yellow and white boards mean?
Yellow is Abfahrt (departures), white is Ankunft (arrivals). It is a nationwide convention, and checking the wrong one is the classic visitor mistake.
+What are the letters A to G on the platform?
Abschnitte — sections. Your reservation gives a carriage and a section, and the Wagenstandanzeiger shows where each carriage stops, so you can wait in the right place.