Nationwide train strike disrupts travel across Germany – KIRO 7 News Seattle

A nationwide strike by rail workers brought large parts of the German long-distance and S-Bahn system to a standstill on Wednesday as vacationers re-forged their travel plans and children in cities like Berlin squeezed into buses and trams to get to school.

The rail operator Deutsche Bahn said that as a result of the two-day strike on Wednesday and Thursday, only around a quarter of its long-distance trains would run. The company urged passengers to refrain from unnecessary travel and announced that it would lift restrictions related to the coronavirus so that every seat can be booked.

Members of the GDL union started their strike on Tuesday evening. The union said 95% of its members voted to enforce their call for a raise.

The union is demanding a 3.2% salary increase and a one-time “coronavirus bonus” of 600 euros.

Deutsche Bahn has rejected the claims. The company has lost billions since the pandemic began and the recent floods that destroyed or damaged numerous railroad tracks.

Eleven of Germany’s 16 federal states are on summer vacation, and travelers rely heavily on trains to get around. However, customers who have already bought tickets for the next few days can request a refund, Deutsche Bahn announced.

The company said that connections between Berlin and cities in the west and between Hamburg and Frankfurt will be preferred during the strike.

In Berlin, where the schools reopened on Monday, the children were late because most of the capital’s S-Bahn trains were not running and the streets were clogged because many workers tried to get to their workplaces by car to get to the To avoid strike.

GDL union leader Claus Weselsky told reporters on Tuesday that the strike would begin on Tuesday at 7 p.m. (1700 GMT) with all freight trains and will extend to passenger trains from Wednesday 2 a.m. (0000 GMT) to Friday 2 a.m.

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