As of: January 22, 2024 4:30 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. Commuters are facing difficult days again with thousands of train cancellations expected.
It was only on Friday that Deutsche Bahn (DB) presented a new tariff offer to bring the GDL back to the negotiating table. 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 AG has once again shown that it is undeterred in pursuing its previous course of refusal and confrontation – there is no trace of any desire to reach agreement,” said the GDL statement.
Bahn calls the plans “irresponsible”
The DB has sharply criticized the GDL’s renewed strike announcement. “The DB relies on compromises, the GDL is exaggerating the conflict,” explained a railway spokesman this morning. “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.” There was also criticism from Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP), who had “zero understanding for this form of tariff dispute”. In his opinion, the collective bargaining conflict between the railways and GDL is becoming increasingly destructive, said Wissing in the ZDF morning magazine. According to its own statements on Monday, the railway does not want to take legal action against the announced strike this time.
Emergency timetable is intended to ensure limited train supply
The DB expects “massive disruption” to long-distance, regional and S-Bahn traffic. Anyone who already has a ticket for a trip from Wednesday can bring it forward and travel on Monday and Tuesday, the railway said. Tickets can therefore also be used or canceled at a later date. An emergency timetable only ensures a very limited train supply 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
The railway has one for Lower Saxony Provisional list of regional connections affected by the strike published. As a result, the trains on the RB 44 / RB 48 line (Braunschweig – Salzgitter-Lebenstedt) are canceled. On the other hand, trains run occasionally on lines RE1 (Norddeich (Mole) – Bremen Hbf – Hannover Hbf), RE 9 (Osnabrück Hbf – (Bremen Hbf) – Bremerhaven-Lehe), RB 40 (Osnabrück Hbf – (Bremen Hbf) – Bremerhaven- fief).
According to the information, the lines RB 45 (Braunschweig Hbf – Schöppenstedt) and RB 46 (Braunschweig Hbf – Herzberg) will run every two hours. A two-hour service is also planned for the RB 80 / 81 (Göttingen/Bodenfelde – Nordhausen) and the RB 82 (Göttingen – Kreiensen – Bad Harzburg), at least on some routes. There are currently no details available for the remaining lines.
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
The RB62 lines between Heide and Itzehoe and the RB85 from Lübeck to Neustadt are canceled. On the other hand, the RE 8 and RE 80 will run between Lübeck and Hamburg every hour. The regional train 81 from Bad Oldesloe to Hamburg is to be served every two hours, as are the trains on the RE 7 and RE 70 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 (Sylt) are open to local transport passengers. However, passengers should note that there is limited capacity.
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: Cancellations in Rostock S-Bahn traffic possible
In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Rostock S-Bahn traffic could also be affected, according to a railway spokesman. Deutsche Bahn will offer an emergency timetable with a greatly reduced range of trips. What this looks like is still unclear. The regional trains of the East German Railway (Odeg) are not directly affected by the strike. “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.
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
The fourth strike in the ongoing collective bargaining dispute
The now announced industrial action would be 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
