GDL warning strike hits Bavarian regional transport hard
The warning strike by the train drivers' union GDL in the wage dispute with Deutsche Bahn will also result in massive restrictions on regional transport in Bavaria. Furthermore, it cannot be ruled out that the warning strike will also affect private railroad companies in Bavaria that are not on strike.
DB has appealed to its passengers to postpone non-essential journeys. The strike is due to begin on Wednesday evening at 10 p.m. and end on Thursday evening. "Due to the warning strike, there will be massive disruptions to Deutsche Bahn's long-distance, regional and S-Bahn services during this period," the state-owned company warned on its website.
According to DB, trains may not run at all in some regions - although the details were still unclear on Wednesday morning. The suburban trains belonging to DB in Munich and Nuremberg also warned of disruptions.
In Bavaria, however, it is not DB trains that are running on several important routes, but those of other railroad companies. These include the Bayerische Regiobahn (BRB), Go Ahead and the Länderbahn with its Alex trains. The BRB runs from Munich via Rosenheim to Salzburg, Go Ahead on the Augsburg-Munich route and the Alex trains connect Munich with Regensburg and Prague. If not only DB locomotive drivers go on strike, but also train dispatchers and other DB Netz employees, the strike would also affect these connections.
"However, because DB Netz employees could also join the strike, the Länderbahn may only have limited access to Deutsche Bahn's rail infrastructure," said Länderbahn. "This may also result in disruptions to Länderbahn's train services." BRB also did not rule out delays and train cancellations. A spokesperson for Go Ahead in Augsburg emphasized: "We will do what we can."
Simply switching to Austrian Federal Railways trains will probably not be an option for passengers in Bavaria either. Rail services to and from Germany are expected to be suspended during the strike, ÖBB announced on Wednesday. This also applies to the Nightjet night trains to Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands.
Agilis expressed optimism: "We are running", the company stated on its website. "There may be isolated disruptions if employees in the signal boxes take part in the warning strike. However, DB assumes that these will only be isolated cases." Agilis operates services from Regensburg along the Danube, both in the direction of Swabia and Lower Bavaria.
In the wage negotiations with Deutsche Bahn, the GDL is demanding, among other things, an increase of 555 euros per month for employees as well as an inflation compensation bonus of up to 3000 euros. Subway trains and streetcars in Bavaria's major cities will not be affected, as these do not belong to DB and run on their own separate tracks.
The tariff dispute between the GDL and Deutsche Bahn could lead to increased tariffs for rail services in affected regions, impacting consumers. Due to the ongoing strikes, traffic on some roads may also increase as people seek alternative modes of transport, potentially causing traffic congestion.
Source: www.dpa.com
