Train fare Zurich to Chamonix SBB error Sep.24

  • lanceyyy
    Participant
    3 posts
    24 July 2017 at 19:54:19 #812726

    Hi everyone- this is my first post. I tried searching the forum for anyone else getting this error but found no posts.

    I am trying to learn the cost of a train ticket from Zurich HB to Chamonix on a Sunday. I do not wish to take a bus, so on the SBB site I click “advanced search” and uncheck the bus choice. The routing is Zurich->Lausanne->Martigny->Vallorcine->Chamonix-Mont-Blanc. I plan to travel 24-SEPT. When I click the “purchase tickets” button the SBB Ticket Shop page says “An error has occurred. The parameters for the connection could not be accepted.” This has continued for a few days now. I’ve tried looking at dates closer to today and consistently get the same error message.

    Does anyone know what I am doing wrong?

    Thank you for your help,

    Lance

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    rockoyster
    Participant
    8889 posts
    24 July 2017 at 22:48:24 #867314

    Hi Lance and wecome to MySwissAlps,

    Have you tried using the legacy sbb site at fahrplan.sbb.ch/bin/qu ery.exe/en ?

    I just did and got a routing via Geneva!

    Happy travels.

    lanceyyy
    Participant
    3 posts
    25 July 2017 at 0:16:12 #867315

    Hi Rockoyster, thanks for the welcome and the suggestion!

    Were you able to get to a fare? I tried that legacy SBB site just now, my 4hr 40min “no bus” option came up first, but when I clicked the “Fare/Buy” button it connected to the same SBB Online Store site and displayed the same error message: “An error has occurred. The parameters for the connection could not be accepted.”

    The Geneva option you mention- isn’t that more travel time than the 4hr 40min rail option and doesn’t it include a bus from Geneva to Chamonix?

    rockoyster
    Participant
    8889 posts
    25 July 2017 at 4:24:50 #867316

    Hi Lance,

    I’m a little out of my depth here but something weird is going on.

    I couldn’t get a fare – I ended up at page attached.

    The route from Martigny to Chamonix via Le Châtelard-Frontière (on the Swiss side of border prior to Vallorcine) is known as the Mont Blanc Express I believe. But trying to get Lausanne – Martigny – Vallorcine – Chamonix I get sent back from Vallorcine then all the way round via Geneva ro get back to Chamonix! Totally odd.

    This pagehttp://www.chamonix.net/engli sh/transport/train suggests summer timetable ends 17 September so maybe the weirdness has something to do with that given your travel date is 24 September.

    Will summon up reinforcements!

    rockoyster
    Participant
    8889 posts
    25 July 2017 at 5:35:42 #867317

    Hi Lance,

    Well the problem I struck above is definitely related to the Summer Timetable for the Mont Blanc Express finishing on 17 September.

    If I look prior to 17 September I get the attached route.

    But when I click on Fare/Buy I get thrown back to the Ticket shop home page as per you original post.

    I’m pretty sure I have seen this problem before for a Zurich to Milan trip. After a week I tried again and it worked. If no one else comes up with a solution you can always contact SBB via http://www.sbb.ch/en/station-services/railway-stations/bern-station/about-us/contact.html

    Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    25 July 2017 at 6:35:54 #867318

    Hi Lance,

    Is does seem like a scheduling issue as other websites for train tickets aren’t displaying a price either. Your best bet at this point is to contact SBB as per Rockoyster’s link above and see what they say.

    That or try the bus option 🙂 it is a quick 40 minutes on the bus.

    Trainline.eu is giving a price of 104 euros at the moment (routing including the bus) but I can’t imagine the price changes much on a route without the bus. It may change depending on when you book it though. But this price can give you a rough idea for now.

    Lucas

    Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    25 July 2017 at 7:02:13 #867319

    >> I am trying to learn the cost of a train ticket from Zurich HB to Chamonix on a Sunday. I do not wish to take a bus, so on the SBB site I click “advanced search” and uncheck the bus choice. The routing is Zurich->Lausanne->Martigny->Vallorcine->Chamonix-Mont-Blanc. I plan to travel 24-SEPT. When I click the “purchase tickets” button the SBB Ticket Shop page says “An error has occurred. The parameters for the connection could not be accepted.” This has continued for a few days now. I’ve tried looking at dates closer to today and consistently get the same error message. Does anyone know what I am doing wrong?

    Hi Lance, the most likely reason is that SBB does not sell tickets all the way to Chamonix on the Mont-Blanc Express (which is what this route is called). They can only sell you a ticket to the Swiss/French border.

    You can get a price of sorts on the site below, but for some strange reason, they will not calculate a fare for a journey with more than two connections!! So you can only calculate a fare from Lausanne:

    ch.voyages-sncf.com/en/

    To get prices in Swiss Francs, change the country at top right of the page to Switzerland before you put in any other details, then when the ticket price comes up in Euro, click on it and it will also display the price in Swiss Francs.

    The price between Zürich and Chamonix, when calculated by this method is CHF 137.76 for Zürich-Martigny, Martigny-Chamonix; or CHF 133.13 for Zürich-Lausanne, Lausanne-Chamonix.

    By the way, when doing a timetable search for this trip, it is probably better to put in via Martigny and/or Vallorcine rather than unticking bus as a means of transport. From 5 September to 30 November 2017, the Mont Blanc Express line will apparently be closed between Argentiere and Montroc for rail improvement works, and a bus service will be provided over this sector.

    You might already know that the Mont-Blanc Express is free with the Swiss Travel Pass all the way to Chamonix, and reservations are not possible.

    Alpenrose

    Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    25 July 2017 at 7:20:28 #867320

    >> This page www. chamonix. net/e ngli sh/transport/train suggests summer timetable ends 17 September so maybe the weirdness has something to do with that given your travel date is 24 September.

    Good work 99 😉

    For some reason, they don’t put up the new timetable on the chamonix.net site the until closer to the time it takes effect. However, the SBB does have a year-round timetable up:

    http://www.fahrplanfelder.ch/ fileadmin/fap_pdf_fiel ds/2017/132.pdf

    Of the services that go all the way to Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, those notated with the number 10 inside a black square only run until 17 September.

    These PDF timetables are a bit tricky to use, because the explanations for the notations are not in English, and in addition, you need a separate document to interpret the symbols in the columns themselves. However, if you would like to explore the official timetable in PDF form, you can find it here:

    http://www.fahrplanfelder.ch/ en/search-for.html

    The explanation of symbols can be found here:

    http://www.fahrplanfelder.ch/ fileadmin/fap_explanat ions/pdf-Dateien/2017/Zeichener kl%C3%A4rung.pdf

    If you scroll down to page 2, the explanations are in English.

    Alpenrose

    Removed user
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    72625 posts
    25 July 2017 at 7:23:40 #867321

    >> That or try the bus option 🙂 it is a quick 40 minutes on the bus.

    Yes, but the Mont-Blanc Express is the scenic route 😉

    Alpenrose

    Removed user
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    72625 posts
    25 July 2017 at 7:38:25 #867322

    Touché 🙂

    SBB seems to try and make things more complicated than they need to be sometimes!

    rockoyster
    Participant
    8889 posts
    25 July 2017 at 10:13:25 #867323

    That’s a lot of homework Chief. But I’m on to it!

    lanceyyy
    Participant
    3 posts
    25 July 2017 at 15:13:30 #867324

    Thanks everyone! I am able to estimate the cost by using Alpenrose666’s technique of breaking the trip into two tickets. (problem solved)

    Per Rockoyster’s suggestion I will wait a week and try again. If It still doesn’t work I’ll contact SBB. Seems perhaps a technical problem with SBB’s online system- if the issue were related to the summer schedule ending 17-SEPT, then a trip this Sunday should price out (it does not, it generates the error message).

    Grateful for you all helping confused travelers like myself- in case anyone hasn’t told you in a while, thank you for what you’re doing!

    rockoyster
    Participant
    8889 posts
    26 July 2017 at 3:20:26 #867325

    Hi Alpenrose,

    I made a handy cheat sheet. See attached. 😇

    Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    26 July 2017 at 4:59:17 #867326

    >> I made a handy cheat sheet

    Excellent rockoyster! So much easier for English speakers to refer to!

    Alpenrose

    Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    26 July 2017 at 8:23:36 #867327

    Hey hey, fantastic Rockoyster!

  • The thread ‘Train fare Zurich to Chamonix SBB error Sep.24’ is closed to new replies.

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