Selecting a seat

ScottE · 2023-09-25T04:11:21+00:00

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ScottE

I purchased with SBB tickets for three adults and one child (child day pass) for a journey from Luzern to Domodossola. I purchased tickets through Trenitalia for the leg from Domodossola to Modena with a change at Milan. We are on the EC51 from Olten to Domodossola and the same train from Domodossola to Milan. I was able to select seats for the Trenitalia leg from Domodossola to Milan, but could not select seats on the SBB purchased part of the journey from Olten to Domodossola. When I purchased the tickets on the SBB app, the app told me that seat selection was not available. Does anyone know whether we can select seats on the Olten to Domodossola leg? Ideally we would be able to secure the same seats for the entire trip from Olten to Milan, but even if we can’t secure the same seats, how can I find out what seats we have on the Olten to Domodossola leg of the journey? As a separate issue, I note our change in Olten is only 6 minutes from one train to the next. I that enough time to go from platform 11 to platform 12? Thank you to anyone who is able to provide advice.

RolandP

Hello ScottE

You should have bought the entire journey (Olten-Modena, or Olten-Milan) as one through-ticket, only then the seats would have been reserved from Olten. As Olten-Domodossola is part of the Swiss rail network and therefore considered a national trip, you cannot reserve the seats. It is not possible to reserve seats on Eurocity trains for national travel.

As a general saying, in Switzerland, there is free seating for non-reserved seats, it’s first come, first served. I suggest going to the coach in which you have reserved your seats from Domodossola, they might be already free from Olten, or they will be likely free after Bern, where many people usually get off.

A change from platform 11 to 12 in Olten is easily possible. There is a stair free underpass in sector B.

Kind regards,
Roland

ScottE

Thank you RolandP. I appreciate your advice. I guess if there is not reserved seating on the Olten to Domodossola leg of the trip,then we are okay. We can sit wherever we can find a seat and hopefully at or near the reserved seats for the Domodossola to Milan leg of the trip. Thank you again.