Originally Posted by
Joshua
I ended up doing that. The RE at 0651 ran 10 minutes late, so I boarded the ICE within maybe 30 seconds of it departing. I don't recommend anyone else try that.
One odd thing riding the ICE: it was two different trains, same train number. In my rush, I boarded the "wrong" train (the first one that arrived). My assigned coach and seat were in the next train.
The conductor first told me to get off at Bonn and wait for the next train to arrive, but then he decided there was plenty of space and just stay on the train since my destination was the next stop (Frankfurt airport) anyway.
The ICE3 trains normally consist of two separate trains especially on routes with high demand. One section of the trains has the cars with the numbers 21-29 and the other one has the cars with the numbers 31-39. Both trains have the same number for example ICE612. You can only switch between the cars during a stop at a train station. That is probably what the conductor tried to explain (the English of German Bahn employees is well known for weird expressions). He didn't mean to get off to wait for the next train arriving but to get off to switch to the cars with the correct number. Especially when the train is pretty full and you have a seat reservation this can make sense. If the train is not full and there are enough seats without reservations you just stay.