faq
Passenger trains should be running again from early Monday morning. What do travelers have to pay attention to? And how could the negotiations continue now? Answers to the most important questions.
The railway and the train drivers’ union (GDL) have come closer together again – they want to talk to each other again and, if possible, resolve their collective bargaining dispute soon. This was agreed by DB human resources director Martin Seiler, GDL boss Claus Weselsky and other negotiating partners during nightly negotiations in Dresden. What’s next – for customers and in negotiations?
Why is the strike ending earlier than announced?
Deutsche Bahn and the train drivers’ union GDL want to negotiate again from February 5th and, if possible, reach an agreement by the beginning of March. The railway can therefore return to normal operations sooner than expected. The strike in local public transport will end at 2 a.m. on Monday night instead of 6 p.m. on Monday as planned. The freight transport strike ends on Sunday at 6 p.m.
What is the schedule for the negotiations?
The negotiations should take place behind closed doors. The collective bargaining parties were negotiating themselves, the railway said. However, moderators can be called in if necessary. They want to reach an agreement by the beginning of March.
What are the sticking points and what is the status of the negotiations?
One of the most important sticking points in the negotiations so far is the union’s demand for a reduction in weekly working hours from 38 to 35 hours from 2028 with full wage compensation. The railway initially rejected this outright. Last week, the group presented an offer that includes 4.8 percent more money for employees from August and a further 5 percent more from April 2025. According to this offer, from January 2026, train drivers and train attendants can then decide between a further pay increase of 2.7 percent or one hour less work per week, i.e. 37 hours of weekly working time.
The GDL initially rejected this offer last week. She was particularly bothered by one restriction: the DB has made the option available on January 1, 2026 subject to the condition that there are enough train drivers and train attendants employed in the group. The two sides also differ when it comes to the duration of the collective agreements and wage demands. There was no mention of a new employer offer in the press releases from both sides on Saturday.
What has the railway promised so far?
The railway agreed that employees would be paid an inflation compensation bonus of 1,500 euros in advance in March. The sum is part of the inflation compensation bonus of 2,800 euros that the group had already offered in previous collective bargaining negotiations. The railway said it was also prepared to negotiate working time models for employees in shift work. Weselsky said that “particularly DB’s willingness to negotiate to reduce working hours for shift workers” was “central” to the agreement that has now been reached. In the discussions in Dresden it was also agreed to set fixed amounts for wage increases, as the railway also announced.
Since when have the negotiations been going on?
The collective bargaining negotiations between Bahn and GDL began at the beginning of November. After the first round, Weselsky called for a warning strike; after the second round, he declared the talks had failed and initiated a strike vote. Since then, the signs have been pointing to escalation rather than negotiation. The strike that is currently ongoing is the fourth in the current round of negotiations and is considered one of the superlative strikes.
How much does the strike cost?
The railway estimated the costs of the strike for the company alone at around 25 million euros per day. The German Economic Institute in Cologne calculated a total economic damage of 100 million euros per strike day.
What do the developments mean for rail customers?
The emergency timetable with major restrictions is still in effect until 2 a.m. on Monday morning. On Monday, passenger trains should operate largely normally again, but there could still be restrictions in local and long-distance traffic, the railway said.
Passengers should inform themselves: “We ask our passengers to get more information in the DB’s digital information media on Monday in good time before they start their journey,” said the railway. Travelers can find detailed information about which trains are canceled on the railway website www.bahn.de or in the DB app. There is also a free telephone hotline for the railway at 08000-996633.
Are travelers allowed to take another train during strikes?
Yes. All passengers who wish to postpone their journey due to GDL strikes can do so. You can use your tickets for this period “at a later date,” the railway writes on its homepage. The train connection has been lifted. You can therefore continue to travel to your planned destination with any other train, even if the route is different than the original one.
This also applies to trips from abroad to Germany and vice versa. Seat reservations that are no longer needed can be canceled free of charge at the DB sales point.
Should travelers expect further strikes?
A peace obligation applies until March 3rd, which means there will be no new strikes by train drivers during this time. At least until then, trips by train can be planned and started. The negotiation period and thus also the peace obligation can be extended if further negotiations need to be carried out.