Status: 11.08.2021 02:14 am
The train drivers’ union GDL is on strike – this hits rail travelers hard on holiday traffic. What rights do passengers have in the event of delays and cancellations?
Where and when do you strike?
The train drivers’ union GDL is on strike nationwide on passenger traffic. The strike started at 2 a.m. that night. The end is announced for 2 a.m. in the night from Thursday to Friday. According to information from the railway, a replacement timetable applies to long-distance transport. With this, the railway wants to maintain at least a quarter of the connections. Rail 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 is to get to your destination: If you have booked a long-distance train journey between August 11 and 13, you can use your ticket flexibly, according to the website of the train. In the period between August 10th and 20th. The train connection has also been removed for saver fares and super saver fares. Seat reservations can be exchanged free of charge.
In local transport, rail customers can switch to another train if it is foreseeable that they will arrive at least 20 minutes late on their actual train. If you take a more expensive train – for example an ICE instead of a regional train – you first have to buy the more expensive ticket or pay a surcharge and then later claim the costs back at the travel center or online.
Can travelers return their ticket?
Customers who are affected by the rail strike 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.
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 get ten euros back 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 will 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 Bahncard 100.
In the case of country tickets, cross-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 make other means of transport such as taxis available to its passengers: 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 accommodation before they look for a hotel themselves.
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, which – like a strike – are foreseeable, must be planned by the employee.
But there are also limits: it is unreasonable, for example, to set off 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.