As of: March 6, 2024, 7:05 a.m
By: Marcel Guboff
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Trains are canceled nationwide due to the GDL rail strike.
But not everything stands still.
What about Flixtrain and Flixbus?
Hamm - Once again, travelers and commuters are being put to the test.
The GDL has called for a 35-hour strike at the railway.
The industrial action in passenger transport starts on Thursday morning, March 7th, at 2 a.m.
This means: Many trains operated by the DB itself - such as in North Rhine-Westphalia - are canceled across Germany or are running with severe restrictions.
The good thing for rail passengers: Despite the rail strike, there are some alternatives.
What about Flixtrain or Flixbus?
Are Flixtrain and Flixbus also affected by the GDL rail strike?
With a view to the GDL strike on March 7th and 8th, the company makes it unmistakably clear: “Flixbuses and Flixtrains will be on the road as usual.” Ultimately, only union members who are employed by Deutsche Bahn AG are called on to strike.
Private companies, such as Flix SE, are not included and operate “normally”.
Tickets are still available on most routes, it says on the homepage (as of March 5th, 11 a.m.).
As with previous rail strikes, increased demand is expected for all private railways that operate their lines.
Therefore also with Flixbus or Flixtrain.
The company's train branch travels to many major cities in North Rhine-Westphalia alone, such as Cologne, Düsseldorf, Duisburg, Essen, Dortmund, Münster and Bielefeld.
Berlin, Hamburg, Bremen, Hanover, Frankfurt and Stuttgart are represented across Germany.
The same applies to the Flixbus, where the network is even denser and extends to Munich and beyond.
GDL announces further rail strikes - then without prior notice
It can be assumed that this will not be the last rail strike.
The GDL around its powerful boss Claus Weselsky announced “wave strikes” as a result.
This means: Industrial disputes at DB companies are then possible at any time and without warning.
Most recently, the union had always announced previous strikes 48 hours in advance.
“This means that the railway is no longer a reliable means of transport,” explained Claus Weselsky.
Flixtrain and Flixbus are not affected by the GDL rail strike.
© Rüdiger Wölk/Imago
Meanwhile, the railway was outraged and called the wave strikes a “blatant imposition on our passengers”.
Human resources director Martin Seiler explained that the union was “stubborn and selfish” insisting on its maximum demands.
However, these are “unfulfillable and pose a massive threat to the railway system”.