The train drivers’ union GDL paralyzes large parts of the passenger and freight traffic for the third time – this time for five days. Dortmund is also affected again. An overview of what you should know by now.
From Thursday morning, rail travelers across Germany will have to prepare for train cancellations and delays again. In the wage dispute with Deutsche Bahn, the German Locomotive Drivers Union (GDL) has again called for strikes. The strikes in passenger traffic begin on Thursday night (September 2) at two o’clock and are expected to continue until two o’clock on Tuesday morning (September 7). In freight traffic, the strike begins on Wednesday at 5 p.m.
Commuters have to be prepared for massive disabilities on strike days in the Ruhr area as well.
Which railways do not run?
Many routes are not used at all during the strike. According to initial information from Deutsche Bahn the RB53 between Dortmund and Iserlohn and the RE57 between Dortmund and Winterberg fail. Instead, buses should run all or part of the routes. The S4 from Unna to Dortmund-Lütgendortmund via Dortmund-Dorstfeld is also to be replaced with buses as rail replacement services between Dortmund-Stadthaus and Dortmund-Brackel.
Which railways still run?
According to the first information from Deutsche Bahn, the RB52 and S5 run between Dortmund and Hagen without restrictions. The RB51 from Dortmund to Enschede should run every 2 hours, the S1 between Dortmund and Solingen every 60 minutes. A replacement schedule for every day is still being worked out.
In North Rhine-Westphalia, some S-Bahn lines are not operated by Deutsche Bahn, but by private providers. They are therefore likely to run regularly. The S-Bahn that are operated by DB Regio in the area of the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr (VRR) are as follows:
- S1 between Solingen and Dortmund
- S4 between Dortmund and Unna
- S5 / S8 between Mönchengladbach and Dortmund
- S6 between Cologne and Essen
- S11 between Düsseldorf / Airport and Bergisch Gladbach
- S68 between Langenfeld and Wuppertal
Was will die GDL?
The GDL is fighting, among other things, for better pay and is demanding wage increases of around 3.2 percent, as in the public sector, as well as a corona bonus of 600 euros in the current year. Unlike the larger railway and transport union (EVG), it does not want to accept a zero round in salaries this year. It’s about higher wages and the protection of pensions, says GDL boss Claus Weselsky. The anger among the members at the management is great.
In the past few weeks, the GDL had already hit long-distance and local transport at Deutsche Bahn twice. Deutsche Bahn set up emergency timetables, but had to cancel most of the trips. The first strikes had so far not led to a change of heart at Deutsche Bahn, said Weselsky. Regarding the announced five-day strike, he says: “It is one of the longest industrial action that we carry out, and that on purpose. In view of the blockade of the DB managers, we are not ready and unwilling to carry out shorter industrial action here.”
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