Sylt Autozüge

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There's no road between the mainland and Sylt. If you want to bring your car to the island, it has to be loaded onto a train over the Hindenburgdamm — and two different operators run trains there, each with its own timetable. This app overlays both and shows you which train goes next.

Both trains, one list, the next one first

Two operators run between Niebüll and Westerland: the red DB Sylt Shuttle and the blue RDC Autozug Sylt. The app overlays both timetables and shows them as one chronological list — the color tells you at a glance which one it is.

The next reachable departure sits right at the top, with a countdown. That answers exactly the question you have on the A7 heading north: not "when does the DB train leave", but which of the two trains is the next one I can still catch.

Every detail of both timetables is already built in: summer and winter schedules with their different validity periods, departures only Monday through Friday, departures only on weekends, holiday rules, and the three departures without motorcycle transport. You choose the direction and date — the app shows what actually runs that day.

Reported delays from both operators feed into the same list too. Instead of keeping two websites open side by side, one glance at your phone is enough — even without signal, because the timetable is built into the app.

The most important point: the time isn't the departure

If you read this as the departure time and cut it close, you'll find loading already closed and end up waiting for the next train. That's exactly why the app shows the check-in deadline throughout, explains what it means in several places — and offers a reminder feature.

Red and blue are two companies, not two fares

This trips a lot of people up: "Sylt Shuttle" and "Autozug Sylt" aren't two names for the same thing. The Sylt Shuttle is DB Fernverkehr AG's red train, the Autozug Sylt is RDC Autozug Sylt GmbH's blue train. They're independent companies with separate tickets — a ticket for one isn't valid on the other.

Another common misunderstanding: there's no car ferry to Sylt from Niebüll. A car ferry runs only from Rømø in Denmark. The German connection is the train, and only the train.

How it works

Travel times, operating hours and seasonal rules

Calculated from check-in to arrival:

The red train's arrival times are stored exactly; the blue train's are an approximation — which is why the app always shows "approx." in front of them.

Summer operating hours: the red train runs toward Sylt from 4:05 AM to 9:05 PM and back from 4:55 AM to 8:55 PM. The blue train runs toward Sylt from 4:30 AM to 7:05 PM and back from 5:55 AM to 6:55 PM. In winter, the red train's first departure toward Niebüll starts later, at 5:25 AM.

The blue train doesn't run in winter. No confirmed times are available for the RDC Autozug Sylt during the winter season; in that case, the app points this out explicitly instead of just showing an empty list.

One detail that's easy to miss: holidays count as weekends. Departures marked "Sat/Sun/Holiday" also run on public holidays — and departures marked "Mon–Fri" don't. The app knows the holidays and factors them in automatically.

Motorcycles: three departures without transport

Three departures toward Sylt don't carry motorcycles, all on the red train and the same in both the summer and winter timetable: 4:05 AM (Monday through Friday), 5:05 AM (daily) and 5:35 AM (Saturdays, Sundays and holidays). The app flags these departures as "No motorcycle transport".

Delays — reported, not tracked

Since version 1.3, the app shows reported delays for both operators. When there's a delay, the scheduled time is struck through and the actual time is shown next to it in orange, along with a badge like "+20 min". Cancellations appear as "Canceled". Importantly: the countdown and arrival time both factor in the delay — otherwise the app would send someone off at the wrong time.

Because there's no shared source, the app pulls the data from two separate systems. That explains a difference that would otherwise look like a bug: delays for the red train usually only appear within the half hour before departure, while the blue train's show up much earlier. The blue operator maintains its delays for the whole day and in rough increments, while DB only delivers real-time data shortly before departure.

One detail with real consequences: if a train is delayed enough to actually depart after a later-scheduled one, it stays at its original position in the list. The large highlighted entry, though, correctly jumps to whichever train genuinely goes first. That's intentional — it means you'll still find the train where you expect it in the list.

What else the app can do

• Fully offline: the complete timetable is built into the app, not just cached. Without a network connection, all departures, countdowns, reminders and the calendar work normally. Only the delay display and the automatic timetable update need an internet connection.
• When nothing's left running today, the app doesn't show an empty list — it shows the next departures from both operators with the day noted, like "Blue Autozug · tomorrow 4:30 AM".
• Direction by location (optional, off by default): on opening, the app selects "To Niebüll" on Sylt and "To Sylt" on the mainland. This is worked out entirely on the device; your location is never stored or transmitted. A manual selection always takes priority.
• Honesty about the data status: the info section shows, separately for each operator, when the timetable last changed and up to which date it's confirmed. For days beyond that, the app still shows the times but flags them as "Unverified times". If a delay source is unreachable, the affected operator is named.
• Departed trains are dimmed out, a "Now" button jumps back to the current position, and the day switches over automatically at midnight.
• The timetable keeps itself current: the app downloads a newer version on launch and only applies it if it's valid and not older than the version already on the device.

What this app can't do

No booking inside the app. Tickets aren't purchased here — the app only forwards you to the relevant operator's booking system, where their own terms and privacy rules apply.

No prices and no price comparison. What the crossing costs depends on vehicle size, demand and fare. A displayed number would be misleading, so the app simply says: final price only in the booking portal.

No occupancy display and no wait times. The app has no way of knowing how long the line of cars at loading is. And the data sources simply don't provide occupancy for the car train — that figure refers to seats in passenger trains and stays empty for car trains.

No notification for delays. Reminders are time-based and use the scheduled time. That's intentional: if you set a reminder 45 minutes ahead, you still want to leave on time — and delays often resolve themselves anyway.

There are also no widgets, no Shortcuts, no sharing or export function, no map and no route planning to the loading station. The app runs only on iPhone with iOS 17 or later, in portrait orientation only, and only in German. It shows only the two car trains — no passenger trains, no ferries, no flights.

Why this app

Both operators in one list

That's the core of it, and the reason this app exists. Each operator only shows its own trains — understandable, but not enough to answer "when does the next one go". The app sorts red and blue chronologically together and marks them by color throughout.

Check-in instead of departure — spelled out

The app deliberately shows the check-in time and explains what it means in several places, instead of just stating a number with no context.

Honesty about the data as a principle

It shows when each timetable was last updated and up to when it's confirmed. If a delay source is missing, that's stated rather than hidden. And a missing report is never shown as "on time".

Ready to use right away

Open it and read it off — at around 1.3 MB, the app downloads in seconds and starts without any setup.

What it costs

The app is completely free. Every feature described here is fully usable with no restrictions. Costs are only ever incurred with the relevant operator, for the train ticket itself.

Your data

Your location is only evaluated on the device, to work out whether you're on the island or the mainland — it's never stored or transmitted. Reminders and settings stay on the device too.

The only things that go out are the timetable file download and the delay lookup with both operators; no personal, device or travel data is transmitted in the process. The delay lookup can be turned off in the app's info section.

The full explanation is in the Privacy Policy.