© dpa
The train drivers' union GDL has called on Deutsche Bahn employees to go on strike again.
The strike in passenger transport will begin early Wednesday morning at 2 a.m. and last until 6 p.m. on Monday next week, the union announced. The union members at DB Cargo, which is responsible for freight transport, have already been called to strike from 6 p.m. on Tuesday. This means that commuters are facing another difficult day with thousands of train cancellations.
As announced by S-Bahn Berlin, passengers have to expect massive disruptions to S-Bahn, regional and long-distance services. Restrictions may also occur before and after the announced strike period. The S-Bahn is offering an emergency timetable with a greatly reduced basic service on some routes. Lines S1, S2, S26, S41/42 (Ringbahn), S45, S47, S7, S75, S8 and S85 will not be running during the strike. There will be an emergency timetable for some lines at 20-minute intervals. This applies to the S46 between Königs Wusterhausen and Schöneberg and the S9 between Friedrichstraße, Schöneweide and BER Airport. The S3 between Erkner and Ostbahnhof and the S5 between Strausberg Nord and Ostbahnhof will run every 20 minutes during the week until 9 pm, then every 40 minutes until closing time. At weekends from Friday to Saturday and Saturday to Sunday, the 20-minute interval runs until 1 am. After that, the lines run every half hour. The bus replacement service between Südkreuz and Gesundbrunnen, which was planned anyway, will run as planned, according to Deutsche Bahn. This is due to construction work in the north-south tunnel of the S-Bahn.
The buses, subway trains, trams and ferries operated by Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG) will not be on strike and will run as usual. Due to the higher volume of passengers, full vehicles and longer waiting times are to be expected.
The wage dispute between Deutsche Bahn and the GDL has been ongoing since the beginning of November. The GDL declared the talks to have failed after the second round of negotiations. Negotiations have therefore not taken place since November 24. After a ballot of GDL members, indefinite strikes are also possible.