As of: January 22, 2024 11:40 p.m
The train drivers’ union GDL has again called on Deutsche Bahn employees to go on strike. The union announced that this will begin in passenger transport on Wednesday morning at 2 a.m. and last until Monday next week at 6 p.m.
The union members at DB Cargo, which is responsible for freight transport, have been called on strike from Tuesday at 6 p.m.
It was only on Friday that Deutsche Bahn (DB) presented a new tariff offer. This also includes, among other things, an option for one hour less working time for train drivers and train attendants from January 1, 2026. However, this was apparently not enough for new negotiations. “With the third and supposedly improved offer, Deutsche Bahn has once again shown that it is undauntedly continuing to pursue its previous course of refusal and confrontation – there is no trace of any desire to reach agreement,” said a GDL statement.
Bahn calls the plans “irresponsible”
The DB criticized the renewed strike announcement: “The DB is relying on compromises, the GDL is exaggeratingly exacerbating the conflict,” explained a railway spokesman. “Anyone who doesn’t even come to the negotiating table with a new offer with up to 13 percent and the possibility of a 37-hour week with the same salary is acting absolutely irresponsibly.” According to its own statements, the railway does not want to take legal action against the announced strike this time.
There was also criticism from Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP). Solutions are only possible if we negotiate with each other. According to Wissing, collective bargaining conflicts should be “settled out and not left out”. Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) said he wanted quick and constructive talks – but he did not want to get involved in the conflict. The Greens spoke out in favor of arbitration.
Emergency timetable is intended to ensure limited train supply
The DB expects “massive disruption” to long-distance, regional and S-Bahn traffic during the strike. If you already have a ticket for a trip from Wednesday, you can bring it forward, the railway said. Tickets can therefore also be used or canceled at a later date. An emergency timetable only ensures a very limited range of trains in regional and long-distance transport, it said DB website. As with previous strikes, longer trains with more seats are to be used “in order to be able to bring as many people as possible to their destination”.
Lower Saxony: Some lines every two hours
In Lower Saxony, the trains on the RB44 / RB 48 line (Braunschweig – Salzgitter-Lebenstedt) are expected to be canceled. On the other hand, trains run occasionally on lines RE1 (Norddeich (Mole) – Bremen Hbf – Hannover Hbf), RE9 (Osnabrück Hbf – (Bremen Hbf) – Bremerhaven-Lehe), RB40 (Osnabrück Hbf – (Bremen Hbf) – Bremerhaven-Lehe) .
According to the information, the lines RB45 (Braunschweig Hbf – Schöppenstedt) and RB46 (Braunschweig Hbf – Herzberg) will run every two hours. A two-hour service is also planned for the RB80 / 81 (Göttingen/Bodenfelde – Nordhausen) and the RB82 (Göttingen – Kreiensen – Bad Harzburg), at least on some routes.
The trains of metronom, enno and Transdev, which also includes the S-Bahn Hannover and the NordWestBahn, are not on strike. However, strikes at signal boxes, for example, can lead to delays and cancellations in the timetable.
Further information
Schleswig-Holstein: Lübeck-Hamburg line every hour
In Schleswig-Holstein, the RB62 between Heide and Itzehoe and the RB85 from Lübeck to Neustadt will probably be canceled. On the other hand, the RE8 and RE80 will run every hour between Lübeck and Hamburg. The regional train 81 from Bad Oldesloe to Hamburg is to be served every two hours, as are the trains on the RE7 and RE70 lines between Hamburg, Neumünster and Kiel. According to Deutsche Bahn, trains are expected to run every three hours between Neumünster and Flensburg. Passengers have to change trains in Neumünster.
The RE6 is also offered every three hours between Westerland on Sylt and Hamburg-Altona. The Sylt Shuttle plus trains between Niebüll and Westerland are open to local transport travelers.
Nordbahn, AKN and erixx are not affected by the strike in Schleswig-Holstein and want to operate as planned. The X85 line from Puttgarden to Lübeck is also not on strike.
Further information
MV: Failures in Rostock S-Bahn traffic
In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Rostock S-Bahn traffic is affected, according to a railway spokesman. According to Deutsche Bahn, connections elsewhere will also be canceled without replacement. The train traffic on Usedom (RB23/ RB24), S-Bahn connections to and from Warnemünde (S1) and between Rostock, Laage and Güstrow (S3) and connections between Velgast and Barth (RB25) are particularly affected. The RE1 lines occasionally run between Hamburg and Rostock and the RE3 between Angermünde and Berlin. The regional trains of the East German Railway (Odeg) are not affected. “Basically we are driving,” said a spokeswoman on Monday. However, if signal box employees go on strike, this could also have an impact on rail passengers with the Odeg, it was said.
Further information
Hamburg: Massive disruptions in S-Bahn traffic expected
According to a spokesman for the S-Bahn Hamburg, similar to the last strike, emergency operations will be maintained every 20 minutes on the lines S1, S2, S3 and hourly for the S5. Because of the particular length of the strike, both the Pro Bahn passenger association and the GDL are expecting major difficulties. Since the signal boxes are also to be on strike, there will probably also be outages at Metronom, the Nordbahn and the AKN, even though these companies are not on strike.
Further information
Fourth strike in the ongoing collective bargaining dispute
The now announced strike is the fourth in the ongoing collective bargaining dispute. Before the turn of the year, the GDL paralyzed large parts of passenger traffic in two warning strikes A three-day strike followed in January with similar effects.
The one presented on Friday The railway’s offer provides 4.8 percent more money for employees from August and a further five percent more from April 2025. In addition, payment of the inflation compensation premium is planned immediately after a possible collective bargaining agreement. According to the DB offer, the term should be 32 months. The railway is also offering train drivers and train attendants the opportunity to reduce their working hours from 38 to 37 hours with the same salary from January 1, 2026. According to the offer, anyone who decides against the reduction will instead receive 2.7 percent more money. In total, the employees who stick with their current working hours received 13 percent more gross money with the offer than they do now. The GDL demands 555 euros more per month as well as an inflation compensation bonus for a twelve-month term.
Further information
