As of: January 24, 2024, 8:31 a.m
By: Romina Kunze, Cefina Gomez
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The Deutsche Bahn trains will mostly stand still for six days.
Commuters in particular have to be prepared for numerous train cancellations and delays.
Munich – After the strike is before the strike.
In the ongoing wage dispute with Deutsche Bahn, the train drivers' union GDL has once again called for people to stop work.
For the second time in January 2024. Union leader Claus Weselsky had previously shown himself to be relentless - and threatened a “longer and harder strike”.
He is now following up his words with actions: the strike will last a full six days.
And therefore significantly longer than all other warning strikes before.
What rail travelers need to know now – an overview.
These routes are affected by the GDL mega-strike
The GDL has identified Wednesday (January 24th) as the starting signal for the industrial action.
It should be quiet on the tracks from 2 a.m. The strike is scheduled to end on Monday (January 29) at 6 p.m.
Only Deutsche Bahn is currently directly affected by the strike, although regional rail operators such as Agilis, Go-Ahead and Länderbahn could also be affected.
What works and what doesn't?
In many places, in addition to long-distance and regional trains, S-Bahn trains also remain idle.
An overview.
(Symbolic photo) © Chris Emil Janssen/Imago
In some cities this can also include S-Bahn traffic, such as in Munich.
The first impacts can be expected in the Bavarian capital from Tuesday evening, according to the transport companies.
There are also some special features in Frankfurt and Rhine-Main, as
fr.de
writes: While the subway and tram should run regularly, this does not apply to regional and S-Bahn trains here either.
In northern Hesse, however, isolated regional train lines will run.
Some connections in northern Germany will probably remain unaffected.
The general start of the mega-strike is on Tuesday (January 23rd): from 2 a.m. freight transport will be affected nationwide.
The next day there will be a strike on passenger traffic as described.
Deutsche Bahn reacts to the mega-strike by train drivers with an emergency timetable
As was the case at Christmas, an emergency timetable will also take effect this time during the strike, which lasts several days.
However, with significantly reduced journeys.
According to DB, there will be longer trains and therefore more seats.
In a statement, Deutsche Bahn recommends checking the online timetables regularly so as not to miss any changes and making a seat reservation in good time for long-distance journeys.
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“In regional transport, the aim is to run a greatly reduced offer.
The extent to which this is possible varies greatly from region to region,” the railway said in its official statement.
The current traffic reports are regularly updated on the homepage.
What train passengers who booked during the strike period can do now
If there is a strike or train cancellations, travelers have secured ticket rights.
According to Deutsche Bahn, all passengers who have planned a trip between January 24th and 29th can also use the ticket at a later date.
“The ticket is valid for the journey to the original destination – even with a changed route.
Seat reservations can be canceled free of charge,” says Deutsche Bahn.
Deutsche Bahn vs. GDL: Why there is currently a stalemate in the mega-strike
Since November 2023, the collective bargaining conflict between Deutsche Bahn and GDL has led to numerous warning strikes, which are also placing a heavy burden on S-Bahn operations as well as regional and long-distance transport.
The rail strike that has now been announced is the longest in the tariff dispute to date.
In a ballot among the members of the GDL, indefinite strikes at the railway were decided.
The collective bargaining negotiations with Deutsche Bahn and GDL are currently in a stalemate.
The GDL is calling, among other things, for a reduction in weekly working hours from the current 38 to 35 hours with full wage compensation and 555 euros more per month, as well as an inflation compensation bonus for a period of twelve months.
The union strictly rejects Deutsche Bahn's counteroffer and describes it as a sham offer.
“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.