ÖBB advises this

German rail strike: ÖBB now advises this

Cancellations and timetable changes are to be expected in Austria on Tuesday due to a train drivers' strike in Germany.

(Bild: APA/dpa/Hannes P Albert)

From the early hours of Tuesday morning, train services to and from Germany will once again be severely disrupted. The reason for this is another strike in the collective bargaining dispute at Deutsche Bahn, which will also affect ÖBB traffic. ÖBB recommends postponing travel to, from and via Germany. Information is available via the "Scotty" timetable information service.

Deutsche Bahn's attempt to avert the strike with an urgent court application failed. "We ask all affected travelers to postpone non-essential journeys to Germany or to choose alternative travel options," says the ÖBB website. "Changes will be gradually updated in the ÖBB timetable information system SCOTTY."

Westbahn trains are running
The ÖBB Railjet connections Vienna-Munich are all canceled. Trains of the mostly private Westbahn are running. ÖBB train services within Austria between Salzburg and Tyrol will be operated according to the construction site timetable or diverted via Zell am See due to planned construction work at the Deutsches Eck. Railjets in the direction of Bregenz will run as planned via Deutsches Eck and those to Zurich via Zell am See.

Alternative routes
The trains temporarily diverted to Munich via Passau due to the construction site timetable will instead be routed to Salzburg to ensure a connection to the Bayerische Regiobahn (BRB). Passengers can therefore switch to the hourly trains of the Bayerische Regiobahn (BRB) between Salzburg and Munich as well as Kufstein and Munich, ÖBB tickets will be recognized, the Austrian Federal Railways announced on Monday.

The Railjet connections between Vienna and Munich have been completely canceled. "Due to the deviating timetable due to the construction work and the short notice of the strike, it is not possible to run individual trains between Salzburg and Munich," ÖBB wrote on Monday afternoon, referring to the sixth strike in a short period of time at Deutsche Bahn in Germany.

Deutsche Bahn is still trying to avert the train drivers' strike with an urgent court application. The freight transport strike is due to begin on Monday at 6 pm.

(Bild: APA/dpa/Hannes P Albert)

Most of the other long-distance trains to Germany will terminate at border stations. The ICE connections begin and end in Passau and Nuremberg. Night trains will already be affected by the strike measures from Monday night to Tuesday night (March 11-12). There will be cancellations and partial cancellations.

Tickets can be canceled
The train connection for tickets to and from Germany has been canceled. Tickets purchased up to and including March 10 can be canceled and refunded if the journey is not made. Nightjet tickets to and from Germany can also be used on daytime services. The tickets are valid up to and including March 19.

Westbahn, which is also part-owned by the French state railroad SNFC, operates five weekday services from Vienna via Salzburg to Munich and back. Each train has around 500 seats. As it runs through with its train drivers, there should be no difficulties due to the GDL strike. On ÖBB trains, the train drivers are swapped at the border stations. Due to the strike, there is no German replacement to continue the journey.

In freight transport, the strike in Germany began on Monday at 6 pm and will also lead to restrictions. According to a press release, ÖBB Rail Cargo is trying to minimize the impact on transport operations by coordinating with partners and customers. Freight traffic is expected to resume in full on March 12 at 6 pm.

A wage dispute has been raging for months
This is the sixth industrial action in the wage dispute with Deutsche Bahn, which has been smouldering for months. In freight transport, it is due to begin on Monday evening at 6 pm. The sticking point is the union's demand for a 35-hour week for shift workers without financial losses. In a negotiation phase lasting several weeks, Deutsche Bahn recently agreed to a proposal from external mediators that envisaged 36 hours with full pay compensation. However, the GDL rejected this.

Lufthansa expects 1000 flights to be canceled due to flight attendant strike
The Lufthansa flight attendants' strike will also force tens of thousands of passengers to reschedule on Tuesday and Wednesday. The AUA parent company assumed on Monday that a total of 1000 flights will be canceled in Frankfurt and Munich on both days. According to a Lufthansa spokesperson, a total of around 120,000 flights will be affected. Austrian Airlines (AUA) flights are currently not affected, an AUA spokesperson told APA.