As of: January 23, 2024 6:00 p.m
The train drivers’ union GDL has again called on Deutsche Bahn employees to go on strike. It starts in passenger traffic at 2 a.m. tomorrow morning and is scheduled to last until Monday at 6 p.m.
The union members at DB Cargo, which is responsible for freight transport, have been on strike since 6 p.m. today. In passenger transport, the strike will “massively affect” the journeys of Deutsche Bahn’s long-distance and regional trains, as the company announced. In addition, there may be cancellations and delays on the S-Bahn in metropolitan areas.
It was only on Friday that Deutsche Bahn (DB) presented the GDL with 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,” it said in a GDL announcement.
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 work stoppage this time.
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There was also criticism from Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP). Solutions are only possible if we negotiate with each other. Collective bargaining conflicts should be “settled out and not left out,” said Wissing. 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
Anyone who already has a ticket for a trip from Wednesday can bring this forward, said Deutsche Bahn. 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”. During the three previous labor disputes, around 80 percent of long-distance trains were canceled.
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 cycle 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 include the S-Bahn Hannover and the Nordwestbahn, will not be on strike. However, strikes at signal boxes, for example, can lead to delays and cancellations in the timetable.
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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 between Neumünster and Flensburg are expected to run every three hours. 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 passengers.
Nordbahn, AKN and Erixx are not directly 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. However, there could still be restrictions in some cases. According to AKN, for example between Neumünster and Neumünster Süd – depending on the availability of the Deutsche Bahn signal box. The AKN reached an agreement with the GDL in the collective bargaining dispute last week.
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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.
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Hamburg: Massive disruptions in S-Bahn traffic expected
According to a spokesman for the Hamburg S-Bahn, similar to the last strike, emergency operations will be maintained every 20 minutes on the S1, S2, S3 lines and hourly for the S5. The Hamburg Transport Association (HVV) expects severe disruptions to regional transport. “Passengers are asked to use subways and buses whenever possible.”
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, although these companies are not on strike.
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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 – without a reduction in hours, the railway would offer 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.
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