Deutsche Bahn (DB) passenger transport is on strike until Friday at 1 p.m. Millions of commuters are affected; only 20 percent of long-distance trains were in use.
At the same time, there were strikes in air traffic. Strikes originally announced by security control staff at Frankfurt and Hamburg airports were extended unannounced to Cologne-Bonn and Düsseldorf airports.
Train drivers’ strike since the night hours
The train drivers’ strike paralyzed large parts of Deutsche Bahn’s local and long-distance traffic from 2 a.m. There has been no freight traffic since 6 p.m. on Wednesday evening. An emergency timetable came into force at Deutsche Bahn due to the strike. To ensure that as many passengers as possible reach their destination, the DB will use particularly long trains for long-distance transport. As the company announced on Thursday morning, the basic range of train journeys started as planned in the morning. 20 percent of long-distance trains are in use. The effects are different in regional transport. After the strike ends, the offer in regional and S-Bahn traffic is to be “gradually expanded once more” by Friday evening, and in long-distance traffic only on Saturday.
- Video: Strikes at Deutsche Bahn and Lufthansa
ÖBB: Postpone non-urgent trips
The ÖBB recommend postponing non-urgent trips to Germany. ÖBB long-distance trains via the Deutsche Eck between Salzburg and Kufstein are expected to run as scheduled. Details regarding the affected train connections can be found on oebb.at and in the ÖBB timetable app SCOTTY. Westbahn trains to and from Munich and Rosenheim as well as via the Deutsche Eck to Tyrol and Vorarlberg should also run as scheduled. Four Lufthansa flights Vienna-Munich are said to be affected by the strike on Thursday.
Almost at the same time, Lufthansa’s ground staff also wanted to go on strike, so massive disruptions due to flight cancellations are to be expected here too. Frankfurt and Hamburg airports in particular will be largely paralyzed as security staff are also on strike. The strike is also scheduled to end here on Friday. According to the airport association ADV, around 250,000 travelers will be affected.
Warning strikes in aviation
The Verdi union extended the warning strikes by aviation security forces to Cologne/Bonn and Düsseldorf airports without warning. This will particularly affect freight traffic at the 24-hour Cologne/Bonn airport, reported Verdi secretary Özay Tarim. The passenger flights are not affected. Employees of the parcel shipper UPS joined the warning strike, which is scheduled to last until midnight on Thursday. No advance warning was given because the airport operator had used its own people as strikebreakers in similar actions in the past, said the Verdi official. According to the union, the strike at Düsseldorf Airport began at 3:30 a.m. and was also expected to last until the end of the day.
The union says it expects disruptions to operations. In Frankfurt, the airport operator Fraport had already announced that boarding flights would not be possible on Thursday due to the security staff strike. Passengers were asked not to come to the airport. No departures are possible in Hamburg either.
