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Week-long strikes at the train threaten: These rights have passengers

2023-04-29T18:56:20.586Z


Further train cancellations and delays due to warning strikes on the railways are imminent. What travelers can do if the train doesn't run and what their rights are.


Further train cancellations and delays due to warning strikes on the railways are imminent.

What travelers can do if the train doesn't run and what their rights are.

Munich – There have already been two strikes at Deutsche Bahn this year: In March and April, the railway employees stopped work and the route network was paralyzed – but no agreement has been reached so far.

Train passengers must therefore continue to be prepared for massive train cancellations.

Because the railway union EVG has already announced further warning strikes for the next few weeks.

These should then last longer than the last Germany-wide strike on April 21, 2023.

The EVG union could "paralyze the train for weeks" - what can passengers do then?

Theoretically, the railway could be “paralyzed for weeks”, as the EVG negotiator, Cosima Ingenschay, explained to the

Süddeutsche Zeitung

(SZ).

The strikes should also last longer this time than the last one, when local and long-distance traffic in Germany came to a temporary standstill on April 21, 2023.

There were also failures on the S-Bahn

Many passengers were stranded at train stations or had not even started the journey.

Many are therefore wondering what rights rail passengers actually have if their train is canceled due to a strike or if the journey is severely delayed.

Is there compensation for this, or what else can you do if you absolutely have to start the journey?

Strike on the train: what to do if the train is canceled or delayed?

Basically, the following applies: Even in the event of a strike, the passenger rights of the EU passenger regulation apply – as they do in the case of delays or train cancellations for other reasons.

On the last few days of the strike, however, the railways had issued extra goodwill rules: Anyone who did not want to start their train journey during the strike period could use their ticket for long-distance traffic flexibly up to a week later.

The journey is not even started because of strikes: rail customers are reimbursed

Seat reservations can also be canceled free of charge.

However, this usually only applies to tickets purchased before the strike was announced.

Anyone who no longer wants to travel by train because of a strike will at least not have to pay the travel costs.

The refund must be requested in writing using the passenger rights form.

This is available at the travel centers and must be completed and sent by post.

Ticket refunds can be requested online or by post

It is easier with online tickets.

This can

easily be refunded via the customer account on

bahn.de or via the DB Navigator app.

With both ways, you have the choice of receiving the money for the ticket as a voucher or by bank transfer.

+

According to their negotiator, the EVG union could “paralyze the railway for weeks”.

But what rights do passengers have in the event of renewed strikes?

© Jens Büttner/dpa/archive image

What compensation is there for train delays caused by strikes

If you are traveling on the day of the strike because you cannot reschedule or are willing to accept the restrictions, you should be patient and find out in advance which trains are running and which are not.

Even after the strike has been called off, there are often hours of massive disruption to rail traffic.

Delays cannot be ruled out.

Anyone who does not reach their destination on time is still entitled to compensation under the EU passenger regulation - just like with other train delays.

These look like this:

  • If you are more than 60 minutes late at your destination station, you will be reimbursed 25 percent of the fare paid for the single journey

  • If you are more than 120 minutes late at your destination station, there is a refund of 50 percent of the fare paid for a single journey

  • for round-trip tickets, compensation is calculated on the basis of half the fare paid.

    (Source: Deutsche Bahn website)

Delays on the train are always measured by when the passenger reaches the destination station

The important thing is that even if a train was only ten minutes late and you missed your connection as a result, you are not entitled to the ten-minute delay, but to the delay with which you reach your destination.

Because usually you have to wait for the next train that takes you to the desired destination.

The consumer advice centers advise having the delay confirmed by railway employees at the respective station.

However, it is also possible to collect other documents.

For example, screenshots from the app or the website or photos from the display boards that show the delay are suitable.

In the event of a strike, does Deutsche Bahn pay for other means of transport or a taxi?

When the train is not running, you can also use another means of transport, such as a car.

However, the costs for this are not covered by the railways.

You should also plan more travel time because of possible traffic jams, since the train strike may have caused many other people to have the same idea.

Just getting into a taxi on your own is also difficult.

Because the bill for this does not have to be automatically taken over by the railway.

The railway only has to reimburse the cost of a taxi ride up to a maximum of 80 euros – and only if the planned arrival at the destination is between midnight and 5:00 a.m. and the train arrives at least 60 minutes late, as the Federal Association of Consumer Organizations

says

explained on his website.

The same applies if the last scheduled train of the day is canceled and you cannot reach your destination by midnight in any other way.

In the event of a strike: when the train has to pay a hotel and what happens if you miss a flight

Anyone who is stranded at a train station because of the strike and cannot get away from there on the same day, even by other means, must be provided with accommodation and also organize the journey there and back to the train station the next day.

If you want to book a hotel yourself, the consumer advice center advises you to get confirmation that the train will not be making any more trips that day.

Anyone who misses their flight due to the strike may start their vacation in a rather bad mood.

Because if the train tickets were bought individually, then you look into the tube.

The train does not have to pay any compensation for the flight, only for the train journey itself.

Here, as a traveler, it is your own duty to inform yourself in good time and to look for alternatives.

In the case of Rail and Fly tickets, the tour operator may have to provide an alternative flight.

List of rubrics: © Jens Büttner/dpa/archive image

Source: merkur

All life articles on 2023-04-29

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