Strikes on the railways: rail travelers have these rights

The train drivers’ union GDL will strike passenger traffic from Monday – in the middle of the summer vacation. What rights do passengers have in the event of delays and cancellations?

The train drivers’ union GDL is again on strike nationwide on passenger transport. The strike started at 2 a.m. that night. The end is announced for 2 a.m. in the night from Tuesday to Wednesday. According to information on its homepage, the railway still offers “a reliable basic offer”. “Nevertheless, in this situation we cannot guarantee that all travelers will reach their destination,” it says. Railway customers can find out which connections are affected by the strikes from the latest traffic reports on the Internet.

Can travelers take another train?

The main thing to get to your destination: Anyone who has booked a long-distance train journey between 23 and 25 August can use their ticket flexibly, it says on the website of the railway. In the period from August 20th to September 4th. The train connection has also been removed for saver fares and super saver fares. Seat reservations can be exchanged free of charge.

For travelers in local transport, it says on the website: “You can use your ticket immediately / or up to and including 09/04/2021, if necessary using another route.” This refers to tickets bought before the strike started on August 23rd. Anyone who takes a more expensive long-distance train – for example an ICE instead of a regional train – first has to buy the more expensive ticket or pay a surcharge and can then later claim the costs back in the travel center or online. However, this does not apply to heavily discounted offers, for example the cross-country ticket or the country tickets.

Can travelers return their ticket?

Customers who are affected by the rail strike in long-distance traffic and therefore do not want to travel at all can cancel tickets and seat reservations that have already been booked free of charge and have the travel price reimbursed at the DB travel center. There is a form for online tickets on the Deutsche Bahn website.

In local transport, the ticket price is 100 percent reimbursed if rail travelers arrive at the destination station at least 60 minutes late due to the strike and therefore do not even start the journey.

Does the train pay for delays?

If you are 60 minutes late at the destination station, rail customers get 25 percent of the ticket price back for a single journey, and 50 percent if you are 120 minutes or more. So if you have booked a return ticket for 80 euros, for example, you will receive ten euros compensation if the train is delayed by at least 60 minutes on one of the journeys.

Customers can choose whether to have the delay compensation paid out as a voucher or in cash. A corresponding application form is available at the travel center or on the Internet.

Does Deutsche Bahn also compensate travelers with a monthly ticket?

Even travelers who have a monthly ticket or other time tickets receive compensation for delays of 60 minutes or more. This is a flat rate: for long-distance travel tickets it is five euros in second class, and ten euros for the Bahncard 100.

For country tickets, Quer-Durchs-Country tickets and the Nice Weekend Ticket, the compensation is 1.50 euros. However: Only amounts of four euros or more will be paid out. As a result, customers may need to provide receipts for multiple delays.

Does the train pay a taxi or a hotel room?

In two situations, the railway has to provide its passengers with other means of transport such as taxis: if the scheduled arrival time is between midnight and 5 a.m. and the expected delay at the destination station is at least 60 minutes; or if the last scheduled connection of the day fails and the destination station can no longer be reached by midnight without a taxi. If the train does not do that – for example late at night – customers can get into a taxi on their own and can then demand the costs – maximum amount: 80 euros – from the train.

If, due to a train cancellation or a delay, it is not possible or unreasonable to continue the journey on the same day, the railway must either provide its customers with overnight accommodation or later reimburse “reasonable accommodation costs”. Passengers must primarily take advantage of the train’s overnight stays before they look for a hotel themselves.

What now applies to taking bicycles with you?

For the days of the strike, the railway asks on its homepage not to take bicycles with you because of the expected high load on long-distance trains. Long-distance travelers who have already bought a ticket with a bike map and reserved a parking space in advance are offered free bike shipping. However, this only applies on strike days and for “conventional” bicycles, for example not for pedelecs, e-bikes, tandems and recumbent bicycles. Shipping usually takes two working days and can only be booked online. Further conditions are mentioned on the website of the railway.

What applies to delays at work?

Employees must do everything reasonable to get to work on time. That could be a trip with your own car instead of the train. Delays that are foreseeable – like a strike – must be planned for by the employee.

But there are also limits: For example, it is unreasonable to start your journey to work a day in advance and spend the night in a hotel. You don’t have to pay any taxi fare that is disproportionate to your salary.