After the railway strike
Trains are running again, delays still possible
December 9, 2023, 7:52 a.m
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The Deutsche Bahn strike is over, and trains are now running nationwide again. The railway warns that there could still be occasional delays. The situation is more difficult in freight transport.
After the warning strike by the German Locomotive Drivers’ Union (GDL), rail traffic in Germany is largely stable again. “Since the start of operations early on Saturday morning, the DB has been running the normal timetable on long-distance, regional and S-Bahn services,” the railway said. “There may still be isolated deviations in the daily routine.” However, passengers have to prepare for full trains for the rest of the weekend. The railway recommends that you continue to find out about your own connections before you start your journey.
The effects of the industrial dispute will be felt in freight transport for a longer period of time. Due to the snow chaos in Bavaria, more than 150 freight trains were backed up at the start of the warning strike. Because of the strike, the railway assumed that the backlog would double. It will probably take a few more days until this is dismantled.
The GDL called for a warning strike in passenger transport for around 24 hours in the ongoing tariff dispute with Deutsche Bahn. From Thursday to Friday evening at 10 p.m., much of the long-distance and regional traffic in Germany came to a standstill. Only one in five ICE and IC trains were on the move. The warning strike in freight transport began a few hours earlier.
GDL has a vote on indefinite strikes
However, the warning strike did not lead to a complete cessation of rail traffic in Germany. The railway set up an emergency timetable at short notice, but there were big regional differences in the train service.
The railway company Transdev was also on strike. The GDL is also involved in the tariff dispute here. Union boss Claus Weselsky has already declared both negotiations to have failed. How things can continue in terms of content is completely open.
Weselsky has ruled out further warning strikes until January 7th. After that, the labor disputes should become longer and more intense, he said recently. The GDL is currently letting its members vote on indefinite strikes by ballot. The result is expected on December 19th.