As of: March 12, 2024 6:37 a.m
The GDL train drivers’ strike in passenger transport began at 2 a.m. as planned. Deutsche Bahn tried in vain to stop the 24-hour strike through court. Northern Germany is also affected.
Passengers must once again expect major restrictions throughout the day. This time too there is an emergency timetable that is available via the Deutsche Bahn website is available. “We have managed to offer a basic service of around 20 percent of the usual timetable in long-distance transport despite the GDL’s short-term strike announcement,” said a railway spokeswoman in the morning. In regional transport, the offer varies depending on the region. Meanwhile, the freight transport strike has been going on since yesterday at 6 p.m.
Appeal hearing at noon
The Frankfurt Labor Court rejected an interim injunction against the strike call on Monday evening. The judge said the strike was not disproportionate. The railway appealed against the decision. “The strike announcement is far too short-term. There are also unlawful demands,” said Florian Weh, general manager of the rail employers’ association AGV Move. The responsible Hesse State Labor Court is due to decide on the appeal this afternoon.
Hamburg: S-Bahn trains every 20 minutes
In Hamburg, the S-Bahn operated by DB organizes emergency operations every 20 minutes for lines S1, S2 and S3. On the S5 section Stade-Buxtehude-Neugraben there is one trip per hour. Hourly trains to Lübeck are also planned for regional transport. The route to Kiel can only be operated every two hours.
Schleswig-Holstein: Sylt trains are canceled due to construction work
Other routes in Schleswig-Holstein are also affected by the strike. In addition, due to signal box work at Westerland train station, there will be no car trains to Sylt until Thursday and the regular regional trains will be replaced by buses. Private railways such as Metronom or Nordbahn are not on strike.
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: Limited regional train traffic
In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the regional train routes 23, 24 and 25, the RE4 line from Lübeck via Neubrandenburg and Pasewalk to Stettin or Ueckermünde and the S-Bahn in Rostock are affected by the strike. The IC and ICE trains in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania are also largely canceled.
Lower Saxony: Hanover S-Bahn runs as scheduled
In Lower Saxony, the trains of the private companies metronom, enno, erixx, and WestfalenBahn as well as the S-Bahn traffic in the city and region of Hanover are not affected by the strike. The Nordwestbahn trains also run regularly. Deutsche Bahn’s long-distance and regional transport connections are only being maintained to a limited extent.
Further information
Deutsche Bahn is canceling train connections again
As with previous strikes, Deutsche Bahn is offering passengers the opportunity to postpone their trip that was affected by the strike free of charge. The train connection has been lifted. A ticket refund is also possible under the appropriate conditions.
This week will be particularly difficult for many travelers: At Lufthansa, 19,000 flight attendants from Lufthansa and Lufthansa Cityline have been called on strike today and tomorrow. The focus is on the airports in Frankfurt and Munich, but this also has an impact on departures and landings in the north.
Further information
Mediators had made a compromise proposal
The collective bargaining negotiations between GDL and Deutsche Bahn had so far failed due to the union’s demand for a reduction in weekly working hours for shift workers from 38 to 35 hours without financial losses. The railway rejects this. The moderators involved, Schleswig-Holstein’s Prime Minister Daniel Günther and the former Federal Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière (both CDU), had made a proposal for an agreement. The weekly working hours for shift workers should therefore be reduced in two stages from the current 38 to 36 hours – without any loss of wages. However, no agreement was reached.
Further information
