As of: March 5, 2024 8:57 a.m
Rail travelers have to prepare for train cancellations from Thursday due to the renewed warning strike by the locomotive drivers’ union (GDL). The strike on passenger transport is scheduled to begin at 2 a.m.
As union boss Claus Weselsky announced, the nationwide strike will last a total of 35 hours. The warning strike is scheduled to end on Friday at 1 p.m. After that there will be further strikes without announcements as so-called wave strikes. Freight traffic should come to a standstill from Wednesday evening at 6 p.m.
Massive disruption to rail traffic
According to its own information, Deutsche Bahn wants to offer a basic service in long-distance, regional and S-Bahn transport. She asks travelers to find out whether the connection is available 24 hours before departure. The following regional transport lines are affected by the warning strike:
- RE 1 (Norddeich/Mole – Bremen Hbf – Hannover Hbf): Trains run sporadically.
- RE 5 (Cuxhaven – Hamburg Hbf): No complete information is currently available.
- RE 8 (Bremerhaven-Lehe – Hannover Hbf): The trains are canceled. An attempt is being made to set up a replacement bus service.
- RE 9 (Osnabrück Hbf – (Bremen Hbf) – Bremerhaven-Lehe): Trains run sporadically.
- RB 37 (Bremen – Soltau – Uelzen): The trains are expected to be canceled.
- RB 38 (Hannover – Soltau – Buchholz – (Hamburg-Harburg)): The trains are expected to be canceled.
- RB 40 (Braunschweig Hbf – Helmstedt): The trains run sporadically.
- RB 44 / RB 48 (Braunschweig – Salzgitter-Lebenstedt): The trains are canceled.
- RB 45 (Braunschweig Hbf – Schöppenstedt): The trains are expected to run every two hours.
- RB 46 (Braunschweig Hbf – Herzberg (Harz): The trains are expected to run every two hours
- RE 62 (Rheine – Osnabrück – Löhne): The trains are expected to run between Löhne (West), Osnabrück and Rheine. Please also use the Westfalenbahn and Eurobahn trains.
- RB 77 (Bünde – Hameln – Hildesheim): The trains are expected to be canceled.
- RB 79 (Hildesheim – Bodenburg): The trains are expected to be canceled.
- RB 80 / 81 (Göttingen/Bodenfelde – Nordhausen): The trains are expected to run every two hours between Nordhausen and Norteim (Han). Between Northeim (Han) and Göttingen. Please also use the metronome trains (RE 2).
- RB 82 (Göttingen – Kreiensen – Bad Harzburg): The trains are expected to run every two hours between Kreiensen and Goslar. From Kreiensen to Northeim(Han) you can also use the Metronome trains (RE 2). Between Goslar and Bad Harzburg, please use the Erixx trains (RE 10) or the HarzBus company bus line 810.
- RB 86 (Einbeck Mitte – Göttingen): No complete information is currently available.
Private railway companies are not on strike
However, the warning strike does not mean a complete standstill on the rails. The call does not affect the private railway companies metronom, enno and erixx. These belong to the Netinera group. This already reached a collective agreement with the GDL in December. However, problems can arise there if, for example, railway employees also paralyze signal boxes. S-Bahn traffic in the city and region of Hanover as well as the Westfalenbahn will not be affected.
Sharp criticism from Niedersachsenmetall
The employers’ association NiedersachsenMetall reacted with incomprehension to the strike announcement. “Especially with the threat of further, unannounced strikes, there is a risk that any proportionality in collective bargaining and any form of social partnership will be lost,” said Managing Director Volker Schmidt. In the future, some companies will probably think twice about whether rail is the right logistics partner, says Schmidt – or whether transport by road is a more reliable alternative.
Further information
If not all employees go on strike, the railway could continue to operate some important routes. more
According to Deutsche Bahn, many trains in northern Germany will be canceled on Thursday and Friday. GDL boss Weselsky is also threatening unannounced strikes. more
Weekly working hours should be reduced to 35 hours. Further strikes at NordWestBahn and S-Bahn Hanover have been averted. (02/06/2024) more
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NDR 1 Lower Saxony | Current | 03/04/2024 | 14:00 clock