Germany paralyzed

ÖBB on double strike: better to postpone travel

Once again, the strikes in Germany are also affecting Austrian customers - ÖBB is now advising them to reschedule.(Bild: APA/AFP/Alain JOCARD)

The simultaneous strikes at Deutsche Bahn and Lufthansa have paralyzed large parts of public transport in Germany since Thursday. Many Austrians are also affected: ÖBB is now advising its customers to reschedule or - if possible - postpone their journey.

Travelers in Germany must be prepared for many train and flight cancellations. Deutsche Bahn (DB) is on strike until 1 pm on Friday. Millions of commuters are affected. At the same time, there were also strikes in air traffic. Strikes originally announced by security control staff at Frankfurt and Hamburg airports were extended unannounced to Cologne-Bonn and Düsseldorf airports.

Only one in five long-distance trains in operation
The train drivers' strike brought large parts of Deutsche Bahn's local and long-distance services to a standstill from 2 a.m. onwards. Freight services had already been suspended since 6 p.m. on Wednesday evening. An emergency timetable came into force at Deutsche Bahn due to the strike. To ensure that as many passengers as possible reach their destinations, DB will be running extra-long trains on long-distance services.

Once again, the strikes in Germany are also affecting Austrian customers - ÖBB is now advising them to reschedule.(Bild: APA/AFP/Alain JOCARD)

Only a fifth of long-distance trains will be running during the strikes.(Bild: APA/GEORG HOCHMUTH)

As the company announced on Thursday morning, the basic range of train services ran as planned in the morning. Twenty percent of long-distance trains were in operation. The impact on regional services varied. After the end of the strike, the regional and S-Bahn services are to be "gradually expanded again" by Friday evening, while long-distance services will not be available until Saturday. 

What does it look like for Austrian customers?
ÖBB recommends postponing non-urgent journeys to Germany. ÖBB long-distance trains via the Deutsches Eck between Salzburg and Kufstein are expected to run as planned. Details of the affected train connections can be found at oebb.at and in the ÖBB timetable app SCOTTY.

Westbahn trains to and from Munich and Rosenheim as well as via Deutsches Eck to Tyrol and Vorarlberg are also scheduled to run as planned. On Thursday, four Lufthansa flights from Vienna to Munich will be affected by the strike.

Massive disruptions to air traffic too
Lufthansa's ground staff also wanted to go on strike at almost the same time, meaning that massive disruptions due to flight cancellations are also to be expected here. Frankfurt and Hamburg airports in particular will be largely paralyzed, as security staff are also on strike. The strike is also expected to end on Friday. According to the airport association ADV, around 250,000 travelers will be affected.

Warning strikes extended without warning
The trade union Verdi extended the warning strikes by aviation security staff to Cologne/Bonn and Düsseldorf airports without warning. According to Verdi secretary Özay Tarim, cargo traffic at the 24-hour Cologne/Bonn airport will be hit particularly hard.

Passenger flights will not be affected. The warning strike, which is to last until midnight on Thursday, has been joined by employees of the parcel delivery company UPS. No advance warning had been given because the airport operator had used its own people as strikebreakers in similar actions in the past, said the Verdi official.

Passengers urged not to come
According to the union, it is expecting disruptions to operations. In Frankfurt, the airport operator Fraport had already announced that it would not be possible to board flights on Thursday due to the strike by security staff. Passengers were urged not to come to the airport. No departures are possible in Hamburg either.