Tariff dispute at the railway
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GDL begins strike in freight transport – passenger trains affected from 2 a.m
The train drivers in freight traffic have been on strike since 6 p.m. on Tuesday evening, followed by passenger traffic on Wednesday morning: the GDL wants to go on strike for six days. The railway wants to draw up an emergency timetable, but many lines will be completely canceled.
- The strike in freight transport began at 6 p.m., passenger traffic from 2 a.m
- S-Bahn again with significantly limited services
- Business association: 100 million euros in damage in Berlin and Brandenburg alone
The German Locomotive Drivers’ Union (GDL) has its Six-day strike in Deutsche Bahn freight transport began. The strike at the railway subsidiary DB Cargo started as planned at 6 p.m., the GDL said upon request.
A final opportunity to reach an agreement failed in the evening. Bayerischer Rundfunk reported that the GDL had made a proposal that was based on the conditions of private operators [br.de]. Deutsche Bahn rejected this shortly afterwards. “This is not a proposal for an agreement, this is a repetition of well-known maximum demands that cannot be implemented in this way,” a railway spokesman told BR.
From 2 a.m. on Wednesday night, the union wants to expand the industrial action to include passenger transport. The rail strike is expected to last until Monday evening at 6 p.m.
In addition to long-distance trains, regional trains and the Berlin S-Bahn will also be affected. The private provider Odeg says it will try to maintain its offer [odeg.de]. Nevertheless, restrictions must also be expected here, as Odeg uses the infrastructure of Deutsche Bahn.
The BVG and local transport in Brandenburg municipalities will again not be affected by the strike measures. However, the BVG warned that from Wednesday onwards longer waiting times and busier, subway and trams can be expected than during the previous rail strikes. Due to the length of the strike, which is expected to last almost six days, demand at BVG is expected to be stronger than in previous actions, it said. The vehicles are likely to be even more crowded than before.
Companies expect damage of 100 million euros
“DB Cargo is doing everything it can to mitigate the consequences for customers in business and industry,” the railway previously announced. “The focus is particularly on trains relevant to supply – individual solutions are being sought together with customers.” The 144-hour strike in freight transport is having a direct impact on industrial supply chains, it said.
According to the Berlin Brandenburg business associations (UVB), around a fifth of all goods are transported by rail. The strike in freight transport will have a significant impact on the economy, said UVB spokesman Carsten Brönstrup when asked by rbb. “We expect that overall economic damage in Berlin and Brandenburg will be at least 100 million euros over the six days of this strike.”
“There will be companies that will try to switch to the roads. Since the capacities of the logistics companies are limited, this is likely to lead to prices rising a little,” he said. “This is an economic loss that we would not have had without this strike.”
Various lines without replacement
“We are currently in the process of incorporating the emergency timetable into all of our information systems, both in long-distance and regional transport,” said a railway spokeswoman on Tuesday morning. However, no updated information was available on the Deutsche Bahn website by evening [bahn.de].
The company had already announced on Monday that some connections in the region deleted without replacement become. The following lines are likely to be affected: FEX, RE11, RE13, RB20/22, RB21, RB23, RB24, RB32, RB49 and RB55.
In large parts of the country, trains only come sporadically. Among other things, one in three falls RE2 and RE7 from, at RE3 Every second person doesn’t come. The RE10 can come, but doesn’t have to. Only the RE1 von der Odeg goes according to plan.
In general, the trains run from Odeg or the Niederbarnim Railway – unless the signal box is on strike by railway employees. On other lines, attempts are being made to use trains at irregular intervals or to set up replacement bus services, it said.
During previous labor disputes, around 80 percent of long-distance trains were canceled. There were also significant restrictions in regional transport, which varied depending on the region.
The railway once again called on the union to return to the negotiating table. “It is now time to come together, negotiate, find compromises,” said the spokeswoman. “We are ready to come together for negotiations and discussions at any time and any place.”
S-Bahn has already completed the emergency timetable
Meanwhile, the Berlin S-Bahn said that the regular timetable would still apply until the end of operations on Tuesday. On Monday, the railway subsidiary announced on
The lines S1, S2, S26, S41/42 (circular railway), S45, S47, S7, S75, S8 and S85 do not drive during the strike. Some lines will have an emergency timetable every 20 minutes. That applies to them S46 between Königs Wusterhausen and Schöneberg and the S9 between Friedrichstrasse, Schöneweide and BER Airport. The S3 between Erkner and Ostbahnhof and the S5 between Strausberg Nord and Ostbahnhof run every 20 minutes during the week until 9 p.m., then every 40 minutes until the end of operations.
On weekends from Friday to Saturday and Saturday to Sunday, the 20-minute cycle runs until 1 a.m. The lines then run every half hour.
According to Deutsche Bahn, the already planned bus replacement service between Südkreuz and Gesundbrunnen will take place as planned. The reason is construction work in the north-south tunnel of the S-Bahn.
Broadcast: rbb24 Inforadio, January 23, 2023, 9:41 a.m