German Rail in decline ?

[dutchflyer]

News from FRAnkfurt:
DB has asked for a juridical order to cancel the strike-as announced too late etc. (This is as such not uncommon here in DE)-we have to wait what the judges will decide.
Do not want to spoil too much, but about all posters in german here tell that even with more time to prepare DB cannot accurately put the real running trains online. The strike-if it goes on-is from 2.00 am for 24 hrs, in practice this will mean that both nights no nighttrain will run.
As an aside to the general topic: having that 49€/month DE-ticket last yr in summer period and now again for this month, not using it every day (even if just on 5-6 days/mo it makes a daily cost of less as 10€-an incredible bargain), and myself much more aiming for tram/metro/bus: expect to be 1 in 4 or 5 days to get hopelessly wrong-but one never knows what day that will be untill it has ended. Its a bargain price for a simply bad service. Strikes were also the last weeks on several days on local transport by Ver.Di=workers union, mostly for all the ´Stadtwerke´=urban works.
Also had planned to return home (NL) tomorrow on it=by regional trains, but came to FRA from Aachen-via Siegen, with just 2 RE-trains on sun 10/3 and that went perfect.
A big major centre of delays etc is the Rhein/Ruhr area (say between Köln and Dortmund)_and most often via freight trains that cannot stop at any point.
But here in FRA the local S-bahn today was also nearly halved ´due to many staff reported sick´.

 

[Niko556]

My

Thanks. We were due to get the sleeper from Munich to Brussels tonight but that's off. However looks like there's a 5:30ish ICE with a change in Koln, so crossing our fingers. Will go ask in Munich hbf.

We asked in the info bit at Munich hbf. Without us asking they ordered us a free hotel for the night (very nice, across road from station), and booked us onto a couple of ICEs for the morning for free. So pretty happy in the end. Wasn't fun getting up for the 0530 train, but got to Brussels in time for our Eurostar back home.

So overall very happy with the support and help we for considering the situation.

 

[YorkRailFan]

The German Locomotive Drivers' Union (GDL) and Deutsche Bahn (DB) are negotiating again: in a small circle and behind closed doors. The negotiations are intensive but constructive. An understanding was reached on many topics. Both parties are confident that they will be able to announce a result next week. Until then, the GDL will refrain from further strikes.

Einigung in Sicht – keine weiteren Streiks | GDL, Gewerkschaft Deutscher Lokomotivführer

GDL und DB verhandeln wieder und erwarten in der nächsten Woche ein Ergebnis. Da Vertraulichkeit vereinbart, wird es keine öffentliche Kommunikation geben.

www.gdl.de

The power of negotiations! Good news for DB to have a break from strikes for a few weeks.

 

[Nohab1142]

Einigung in Sicht – keine weiteren Streiks | GDL, Gewerkschaft Deutscher Lokomotivführer

GDL und DB verhandeln wieder und erwarten in der nächsten Woche ein Ergebnis. Da Vertraulichkeit vereinbart, wird es keine öffentliche Kommunikation geben.

www.gdl.de

The power of negotiations! Good news for DB to have a break from strikes for a few weeks.

Good news for passengers:
DB and GDL have agreed. Details will be communicated tomorrow.
https://www.tagesschau.de/wirtschaft/unternehmen/bahn-gdl-einigung-100.html

 

[paul_munich]

35h week from 2029 on for the drivers, sounds like a massive success for GDL and Weselsky!

 

[Fragezeichnen]

That depends on the accompanying conditions regarding what other pay rises or benefits changes they get now and over the next 5 years.

It reminds me a bit of the episode of Yes, Prime Minister where Sir Humphrey, negotiating a pay rise on behalf of the civil service, conspires to produce a high headline pay increase without actually increasing the wage bill.

Employees in Germany already have the right to reduce their hours, so the actual benefit being gained here is a reduction in working hours without a reduction in salary. A reduction from 40 to 35 hours a week is therefore equivalent to a pay rise of 2.5% per year.
The current inflation rate in Germany is also.. 2.5%.
So in the worst case of accepting the hours reduction in return for no other pay rises until 2029, the deal would be worthless.

 

[bahnause]

So in the worst case of accepting the hours reduction in return for no other pay rises until 2029, the deal would be worthless.

I don't think working less hours per week for the same salary would be worthless.

The agreed payrises seem to be:

• +210 Euros per month in August 2024.
• +210 Euros per month in April 2025.
• One time "inflation comensation" of 2850 Euros.
• Maximum of 120 hours of work instead 144 hours between rest days.
• Some other minor stuff.

 

[Krokodil]

It reminds me a bit of the episode of Yes, Prime Minister where Sir Humphrey, negotiating a pay rise on behalf of the civil service, conspires to produce a high headline pay increase without actually increasing the wage bill.

That was the other way around. Increasing the wage bill but avoiding a headline increase.

 

[Goldfish62]

Looks a superb deal for the drivers, plus with a no strike obligation until February 2026 it at long last gives certainty to passengers.

 

[duesselmartin]

Certainty for passengers yes, cheaper no. The minister for transport Volker Wissing already suggests that fares will have to increase to match those demands.

 

[Goldfish62]

Certainty for passengers yes, cheaper no. The minister for transport Volker Wissing already suggests that fares will have to increase to match those demands.

Of course, and maybe trimming back investment plans. The money has to come from somewhere.

 

[bahnause]

Certainty for passengers yes, cheaper no. The minister for transport Volker Wissing already suggests that fares will have to increase to match those demands.

He is a minister for cars and a member of the Porsche party. He couldn't care less about rail. Investments in rail already have been cut and all he tries to do here is to blame something else.

 

[Goldfish62]

He is a minister for cars and a member of the Porsche party. He couldn't care less about rail. Investments in rail already have been cut and all he tries to do here is to blame something else.

Sounds like our Transport Secretary here in the UK.

 

[Fragezeichnen]

Looks a superb deal for the drivers, plus with a no strike obligation until February 2026 it at long last gives certainty to passengers.

I would still say that considering the bare minimum a union should deliver is to maintain wages against inflation, and the reduction in hours does nothing more than cancel out inflation, it's far far from superb in absolute terms. Still, the GDL gets to claim they delivered on the 35 hour week.

 

[bahnause]

I would still say that considering the bare minimum a union should deliver is to maintain wages against inflation, and the reduction in hours does nothing more than cancel out inflation, it's far far from superb in absolute terms. Still, the GDL gets to claim they delivered on the 35 hour week.

They can choose how many hours they want to work. If they want, they can work up to 40(?) hours and get more money. In addition to that a general pay rise in two steps was agreed. And a one off premium. And improved working conditions. If this is not a good deal, what is?

 

[Goldfish62]

I would still say that considering the bare minimum a union should deliver is to maintain wages against inflation, and the reduction in hours does nothing more than cancel out inflation, it's far far from superb in absolute terms. Still, the GDL gets to claim they delivered on the 35 hour week.

Taking you argument to its logical conclusion even reducing the working week to 1 hour should still result in an inflation increase on the absolute weekly pay that has previously been pays.

 

[nwales58]

Are there disputes between Ver.di and the rail operators which could lead to strike action or is everything now resolved?

 

[Fragezeichnen]

They can choose how many hours they want to work. If they want, they can work up to 40(?) hours and get more money. In addition to that a general pay rise in two steps was agreed. And a one off premium. And improved working conditions. If this is not a good deal, what is?

The speed of reduction seems quite slow to me, it shouldn't take 5 years. At least they'll have time to prepare to start arguing fir a 30 hour week as the next so-called "new normal" in 2029.

By the way, part of the deal is that GDL members will lose 6 days of their holiday entitlement. Funnily enough this is not mentioned in the GDL press release.

Last year DB Cargo lost €0.6 billion and plans to make 1800 people redundant. DB wanted a variety of Cargo-specific measures to increase productivity to be included in the deal and the GDL proudly announced they refused to accept any of them. So, hooray for collective bargaining I guess.

I work in the railway industry in Germany and have a Union contract with a 40 hour work week. Even went on strike once. Nobody gave one solitary s***, of course, because I work in an office and not on a train. Not that I'm bitter or anything.

 

[Goldfish62]

I work in the railway industry in Germany and have a Union contract with a 40 hour work week. Even went on strike once. Nobody gave one solitary s***, of course, because I work in an office and not on a train. Not that I'm bitter or anything.

Yes! I used to work in the public transport industry in London and a few years ago went out on strike. No one took any notice, we lost three days pay and I had to catch up with three days of work in my own time. Like you, that's because I was an office worker.

 

[duesselmartin]

Are there disputes between Ver.di and the rail operators which could lead to strike action or is everything now resolved?

the Ver.Di dispute with the communal operators (trams, buses ect) is not yet resolved.
For those flying into Germany, the Lufthansa dispute is resolved.

 

[Richard Scott]

Currently at Stuttgart and virtually no long distance trains are on time.
Looks like connection already out the window.
Suppose I should have expected this.

 

[duesselmartin]

You could be lucky and your connection is delayed too.
I dont plan IC ICE connections under 30 minutes and at a terminal station like Stuttgart 45 minutes. On regionals I get what comes.
During the Euros this summer one can expect chaos, sadly

 

[Richard Scott]

You could be lucky and your connection is delayed too.
I dont plan IC ICE connections under 30 minutes and at a terminal station like Stuttgart 45 minutes. On regionals I get what comes.
During the Euros this summer one can expect chaos, sadly

Wasn't held but luckily another was possible.
Nor do I usually but no choice on this occasion.

 

[Peter Wilde]

Not a great performance by DB on our early April trip. ICEs both ways (Frankfurt Flughafen to/from Mannheim) were running late with extended journey times - and with the normal requirement to only travel on ones pre-booked service relaxed. At least that part did help us.

Engineering work around Mannheim (evidently a big reconstruction) severely reduced the service frequency for our local connection to Ladenburg. All S trains on this route were replaced by buses. The alternative RB service was retimed and reduced to one an hour. We did know in advance about all that, and the train we expected did run.

However another family member got stranded half-way on that local route next day, when after a long delay at Neu-Erdingen the driver announced that he had no idea what was going on; and a bit later told all passengers they had to leave the train … at an unstaffed station with no local facilities, and no obvious source of taxis! We were fortunately able after several phone calls to arrange for another family member to pick up our elderly stranded person, by her private car; without that help, he might have been there for hours.

So an unbelievable failure in passenger care and communication by DB. Not helped by the info screens on platforms on this line showing only a single scrolling line of un-informative text, being a standard message saying that a revised timetable was in operation and passengers "should check their journey details". (And, when things are in fact running, this display changes to announce the next train only a few minutes before it is due - which is particularly unhelpful on a platform used by several routes, so getting on the wrong train could be intensely awkward. Very confusing and stressful for foreigners and also seemed to be bemusing locals).

We found, much later, that the cause of the above failure was an unmanned signal cabin meaning no trains were allowed further for an indeterminate, but evidently hours-long, time.

 

[U-Bahnfreund]

Engineering work around Mannheim (evidently a big reconstruction) severely reduced the service frequency for our local connection to Ladenburg. All S trains on this route were replaced by buses. The alternative RB service was retimed and reduced to one an hour. We did know in advance about all that, and the train we expected did run.

The Mannheim-Frankfurt via Biblis line will be completely rebuilt from scratch in 6 months between July and December (Hochleistungskorridor Riedbahn), which is why they're currently upgrading the Mannheim-Frankfurt via Darmstadt line and others in order for them to be able take all the diversionary traffic later this year.

However another family member got stranded half-way on that local route next day, when after a long delay at Neu-Erdingen the driver announced that he had no idea what was going on; and a bit later told all passengers they had to leave the train … at an unstaffed station with no local facilities, and no obvious source of taxis! We were fortunately able after several phone calls to arrange for another family member to pick up our elderly stranded person, by her private car; without that help, he might have been there for hours.

So an unbelievable failure in passenger care and communication by DB. Not helped by the info screens on platforms on this line showing only a single scrolling line of un-informative text, being a standard message saying that a revised timetable was in operation and passengers "should check their journey details". (And, when things are in fact running, this display changes to announce the next train only a few minutes before it is due - which is particularly unhelpful on a platform used by several routes, so getting on the wrong train could be intensely awkward. Very confusing and stressful for foreigners and also seemed to be bemusing locals).

We found, much later, that the cause of the above failure was an unmanned signal cabin meaning no trains were allowed further for an indeterminate, but evidently hours-long, time.

Agreed, passenger information during disruptions is really bad most of the time, even for locals. It's very disappointing that this happened.

A tip for next time: there's a metre-gauge interurban tram between Mannheim and Heidelberg (and also from both places to Weinheim), which has a stop 20 minutes away on foot from Neu-Edingen/Friedrichsfeld DB station. It's RNV route 5 and runs every 10-20 minutes, and would have been done so even during DB disruptions.