On the third day of the nationwide strike by the train drivers' union GDL, Deutsche Bahn is preparing for the end of the strike in the evening. According to a railroad spokeswoman in Leipzig, more trains will be running on regional routes by then. Traffic should be running normally again on Saturday. Passengers on long-distance services are advised to reserve a seat.
An emergency timetable is still in place until the evening. According to the spokesperson, only around 20 percent of long-distance trains were running nationwide during the strike. In local transport, Deutsche Bahn informed about confirmed connections one day in advance. Hardly any problems were reported by private rail competitors whose train drivers were not on strike.
In long-distance transport, some trains were still scheduled to run on the north-south line on Friday - from Munich via Erfurt and Leipzig to Berlin and Hamburg. According to the spokeswoman, particularly long trains were to be used. Dresden and Magdeburg were connected by regional trains via Leipzig. There was still an intercity connection from Dresden to Prague.
There were still considerable restrictions on local transport, the spokeswoman said. Buses would also be used. Anyone who can postpone their journey should do so.
The planned end of the industrial action is Friday at 18:00. On Tuesday evening, the group also failed in the second instance at the regional labor court in Frankfurt in its attempt to have the strike stopped. Deutsche Bahn and the GDL have been negotiating new collective agreements since the beginning of November. The main sticking point is the GDL's demand for a reduction in weekly working hours with full pay. Deutsche Bahn rejects this.
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