Tariff dispute - Many train cancellations due to warning strike by train drivers' union
Commuters and rail travelers must expect numerous train cancellations on regional and long-distance services in North Rhine-Westphalia following calls for warning strikes by the train drivers' union GDL. The GDL has called another nationwide warning strike at Deutsche Bahn from 10 p.m. on Thursday to 10 p.m. on Friday. The GDL has also called on employees of the companies NordWestBahn GmbH and Transdev Rhein-Ruhr GmbH to go on warning strike in North Rhine-Westphalia for the same period.
Deutsche Bahn has drawn up emergency timetables and is calling on passengers to use the information systems. Due to the warning strike, there will be major timetable changes to DB's regional services in North Rhine-Westphalia, the company announced. Only a greatly reduced service is possible, said a spokeswoman for Deutsche Bahn NRW. Restrictions were already possible before the warning strike began. The information systems bahn.de/reiseauskunft, zuginfo.nrw and the DB Navigator app were being constantly updated, she explained.
Rail competitor National Express, which is not directly affected by the GDL warning strike calls, is expecting very full RRX trains and is also asking travelers to inform themselves in advance.
The National Express lines RE 1 (RRX), RE 5 (RRX), RE 6 (RRX), RE 11 (RRX), RE 4 as well as RB 48 and RE 7 are running as planned in regular service, a spokesperson for the company announced on Thursday. However, due to the warning strikes at other railroad companies and the associated extensive train cancellations on local and long-distance services, high capacity utilization must be expected on these connections. In addition, the warning strikes at other companies could possibly also lead to delays and restrictions at National Express. Travelers should therefore use the information systems such as zuginfo.nrw.
According to ADAC estimates, the GDL warning strikes will not lead to significantly more traffic jams on the freeways in NRW this Friday. "We assume that many commuters are now able to work from home, at least for a few days, and are preparing for the strike again," said a spokesperson for ADAC Nordrhein on Thursday, referring to previous experiences with rail strikes. However, the freeways are currently very full anyway, as traffic jam figures for the month of November have shown. "The risk of congestion is greatest between 7.00 and 9.00 am and 3.00 and 6.00 pm," said the spokesperson.
The ADAC advises anyone who has to travel by car to drive outside peak times if possible and to keep an eye on the weather conditions. The spokesman referred to the German Weather Service (DWD), which has warned of the risk of icy conditions due to freezing rain, in some cases down to low altitudes, for Friday night. According to the DWD forecast for NRW, the focus is on the Eifel, Sauerland and Eggegebirge. Thunderstorms are possible, according to the forecast on Thursday. Severe restrictions on road traffic are likely.
Germany's most populous federal state is also a major commuter state. According to data from the State Statistical Office, around 4.9 million employees in NRW regularly traveled to work in another location in 2022. These statistics do not show how commuters are distributed across the various modes of transport. However, a look at the microcensus for NRW with data for 2020, which is only comparable to a limited extent, shows that the car was the most important means of transport for commuters, at least at that time. According to the 2020 microcensus, a good 70 percent of people used their car to get to work.
The GDL announced a central rally for NRW this Friday at 12.00 noon in front of Cologne Central Station. In addition to hundreds of strikers, the deputy head of the GDL, Lars Jedinat, is expected to attend, GDL district chairman Sven Schmitte told dpa on Thursday. With regard to the warning strike calls to employees of NordWestBahn GmbH and Transdev Rhein-Ruhr, he pointed out that several wage negotiations with companies were running in parallel. At Transdev, the GDL had declared the failure of the negotiations.
NordWestBahn, which is active in NRW with four lines in Ostwestfalen-Lippe, is expecting severe restrictions. RheinRuhrBahn, which operates five lines with a focus on the Ruhr region, has set up an emergency bus service on four lines. A spokeswoman for the company also asked passengers to inform themselves in advance.
Following the warning strike, the GDL does not intend to strike again until January 7, as GDL boss Claus Weselsky has already announced. Deutsche Bahn criticized the GDL for spoiling the second Advent weekend for millions of uninvolved people. The timing of the warning strike announcement on Wednesday evening was met with displeasure by the passenger association Pro Bahn. "What we criticize is the short notice. We would like it to be announced two days in advance when the strike will take place so that passengers can prepare for it," said Chairman Detlef Neuß.
NordWestBahn on the strike RheinRuhrBahn on the effects of the strike DB Regio overview for download
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Source: www.stern.de
