Many commuters in and around Munich breathed a sigh of relief. The 50-hour strike at Deutsche Bahn, originally scheduled from 10 p.m. Sunday to midnight Tuesday night, was averted at almost the last minute after the company and rail union EVG agreed to a settlement.
Nevertheless, not all strikes have been averted: almost all trains from three regional providers did not run. Travelers on the Bavarian Oberlandbahn (BOB), the Bavarian Regiobahn (BRB) and Meridian were affected. “Not even a handful of train drivers drive,” said a spokesman for the EVG union. About 300 employees are on strike.
According to a spokeswoman, the start of the week at Deutsche Bahn was largely normal. “In regional and S-Bahn traffic, we drive stably without any significant restrictions.” In long-distance traffic, around 90 percent of all connections should be served on Monday.
Nationwide, there are currently negotiations on collective agreements at railway companies. The warning strike at Deutsche Bahn, which was also scheduled for 50 hours, was averted on Saturday after the company and union had reached a settlement in court.
The three providers belong to Transdev GmbH, the second largest railway and bus company active in Germany after Deutsche Bahn. Despite the planned start of the strike at 10 p.m., according to the transport provider, the first restrictions may already come into effect as early as 7 p.m. on Sunday evening. Passengers were asked to inform themselves in advance about possibly canceled trains.
All BOB routes to and from Bayrischzell, Lenggries and Tegernsee are affected, as well as the Meridian routes to and from Salzburg, Kufstein and Rosenheim. All BRB routes to and from Schongau, Ingolstadt, Eichstätt, Augsburg and Gessertshausen as well as routes to and from Ruhpolding, Füssen, Buchloe and Landsberg are also on strike.