The Germans are on strike

[blackfive460]

Well, there's one piece of (sort of) good news...
In a TV interview this morning Claus Weselsky stated that, at the moment the union has no plans for an indefinite strike so any further action is likely to follow the pattern of today's strike.

 

[Clip]

Cheers. Aany chance you could keep the thread updated as and when you get more info?

 

[blackfive460]

I will if I can but in a week or so that will depend on Austrian and Swiss hotel wi-fi!

A Google search for 'GDL streik' (that's not a mis-spelling) will bring up the latest news and even if your German isn't all that good, Google or Bing translators do quite well.

If you prefer your German news in English try Deutsche Welle.

There's also the GDL's web site - http://www.gdl.de/

 

[Clip]

cheers. Im heading out on 7th November so will look closer to the time.

 

[blackfive460]

The next one - and they're getting longer...

GDL have called another strike beginning tomorrow at 14:00 until 04:00 Thursday.

 

[STEVIEBOY1]

I just missed the strike that started on Wed and Finished on Thursday at 0400, I was travelling from the Harz to STP yester from 0700 hours and luckily all the train ran OK, although the tour firm did charter a bus to take us to Hanover in case the local train we were getting to there was cancelled. Hope these problems get sorted out soon. It's a shame as the German railways and the ICE trains in general are very good indeed.

 

[blackfive460]

And yet another one and they are really getting longer now...

GDL have called a strike from 2AM Saturday morning until 4AM Monday morning.

Not the best weekend to pick as many states are starting or ending their Autumn holiday weeks so there'll be a lot of people (not) travelling.

Read all about it in English courtesy of Deutsche Welle.

 

[STEVIEBOY1]

That's bad, they don't seem to have to give much notice do they?

 

[Capybara]

Sweating a bit here. I'm there next weekend. Plan B required.

 

[blackfive460]

Deutsche Bahn have published a pdf (in German) giving an overview of which long distance services are expected to run.
Download it direct from this link: http://www.bahn.de/p/view/mdb/bahnintern/startseite/bereitschaft/mdb_168579_uebersicht_ersatzfahrplan_streik_fernverkehr.pdf or from http://www.bahn.de/p/view/home/info/streik_gdl_102014.shtml

They've stated elsewhere that they hope to run 'up to' 30% of services.
I'll be interested to see what actually happens and I'm really glad I changed my plans for the next couple of weeks!

The way things appear to be going with neither side willing to talk to each other, this could go on for months with DB waiting for government legislation to solve things for them while GDL plan longer and more disruptive strikes.

 

[STEVIEBOY1]

I hope they get this sorted out soon, I am going back to Germany over the Chrsitmas/New Year period.

 

[blackfive460]

No strikes for the next seven days apparently...

http://www.dw.de/deutsche-bahn-drivers-promise-week-without-strikes/a-18006487

 

[Amberley54]

That's bad, they don't seem to have to give much notice do they?

But isn't the whole point of a strike to create disruption? Therefore, the shorter the notice the greater the impact.

In the UK unions have been marginalised by successive legislation over the past 20 years. Indeed, we now have to largely rely on EU legislation to provide even the most basic protection for employees E.g. TUPE.

Another reason behind the right wing press' visceral hatred of the EU.

 

[D6700]

Having been caught up in the first 3 hour strike and subsequently a 24 hour Italian strike, I've also been caught up in this 48 hour strike!

I thought I'd be ok, as I just avoided the midweek strike and was taken aback when I found out about this big step up in the industrial action whilst on the Berlin Underground on Friday afternoon.

On Saturday, I was booked to travel on the direct Berlin to Wroclaw Eurocity, so was in a right flap, as it put a big chunk of this trip on jeopardy.

In the event, I used my train ticket on a normal city bus from outside my hotel to Ostbahnhof, which actually worked out better than if the S-Bahn was running. I took a DB 182 on one of literally the handful of RE services running forward to the Hauptbahnhof.

I headed straight to the information desk, where the very helpful lady found me a route avoiding DB driven trains. I had to forego my planned loco haulage, but was very relieved to be able to get out of Germany! I took an ODEG EMU to Cottbus, followed by an ODEG DMU to Goerlitz. From there. I was on a DB DMU, crewed by Polish staff. These trains were cancelled between Dresden and Goerlitz and running with heavy delays to/from Wroclaw.

The end result was that I arrived two hours late, which has been the same for all three strikes and the suicide I have encountered in the last two months on my European travels! The Italian strike also cost me €32, my share of a very large taxi bill - Tirano to Milan, with 8 passengers.

 

[STEVIEBOY1]

No strikes for the next seven days apparently...

http://www.dw.de/deutsche-bahn-drivers-promise-week-without-strikes/a-18006487

Well that's good news. Let's hope they have constructive talks during this period.

 

[HA25322]

Not that I want to advocate shires but sometimes need must. My plan B has been sorted just in case. I used https://www.busliniensuche.de/ to search for shires and it has done the trick. Ok I hope to not to have to use them but if the little tinkers called DB drivers decide to cause more misery when I am over there in a couple of weeks then so be it. I am able to get from Hannover to Berlin, Berlin to Erfurt and Erfurt to Düsseldorf.

 

[blackfive460]

More good news for anyone going to Germany next week. GDL have said no more strikes until 2nd November.
So, expect normal service with usual delays until then!

 

[embers25]

More good news for anyone going to Germany next week. GDL have said no more strikes until 2nd November.
So, expect normal service with usual delays until then!

That is great news as I'm off to Berlin via Brussels,Cologne,Mainz and Frankfurt next Wed. Where did you read this?

 

[blackfive460]

Just do a Google news search for 'GDL streik'. Most German newspaper web sites will have the same story.

 

[embers25]

Just do a Google news search for 'GDL streik'. Most German newspaper web sites will have the same story.

Many thanks

 

[blackfive460]

Here we go again and it's a big one this time...

GDL have called a further strike beginning tomorrow at 15:00 for freight and 02:00 Thursday for passenger trains. The strike will end next Monday at 04:00.

GDL seem to be rapidly losing credibility after this last weekend's negotiations seemingly getting to the point of signing an agreement when GDL decided to walk out.

 

[Clip]

Ahh nuts. Ill gues ill have to ring DB tomorrow and find out what their plans are for onward connections form Brussels.

How many hours on a bus is that?

 

[blackfive460]

Brussels to Köln should be Ok as these international services seem to have run during previous strikes, subject to the usual failures and cancellations of course, and even if your ICE (14:25 per chance?) doesn't turn up you'll be able to use other services as far as Aachen with the prospect of something to get you to Köln from there. If you are going beyond there, good luck!

One thing I've found useful is a handy link which, if you have a smartphone with you, can display departure and arrival boards for every German station. Very handy when things go wrong.

This is the link for Köln departures:
https://iris.noncd.db.de/wbt/js/index.html?typ=ab&style=qrab&bhf=kk&zugtyp=THA,ICE,IC,EC,RE,RB&SecLang=EN&Zeilen=50

You can edit it for arrivals, other train types, and other stations.

For example: change 'typ=ab' to 'typ=an' for arrivals; edit 'zugtyp=' to include or exclude train types which are pretty self explanatory; change 'bhf=' for different stations.
You can get the codes for other stations from this site http://www.michaeldittrich.de/abkuerzungen/index.php though finding some can be difficult so best to do that before you go.

I've found these very useful when travelling and they are pretty light on data use if you are paying for roaming internet rather than using free wi-fi.

 

[Clip]

Thanks for the info. Off to frankfurt on 1025 on friday from brussells chance thatll run?

 

[embers25]

Brussels to Köln should be Ok as these international services seem to have run during previous strikes, subject to the usual failures and cancellations of course, and even if your ICE (14:25 per chance?) doesn't turn up you'll be able to use other services as far as Aachen with the prospect of something to get you to Köln from there. If you are going beyond there, good luck!

One thing I've found useful is a handy link which, if you have a smartphone with you, can display departure and arrival boards for every German station. Very handy when things go wrong.

This is the link for Köln departures:
https://iris.noncd.db.de/wbt/js/index.html?typ=ab&style=qrab&bhf=kk&zugtyp=THA,ICE,IC,EC,RE,RB&SecLang=EN&Zeilen=50

You can edit it for arrivals, other train types, and other stations.

For example: change 'typ=ab' to 'typ=an' for arrivals; edit 'zugtyp=' to include or exclude train types which are pretty self explanatory; change 'bhf=' for different stations.
You can get the codes for other stations from this site http://www.michaeldittrich.de/abkuerzungen/index.php though finding some can be difficult so best to do that before you go.

I've found these very useful when travelling and they are pretty light on data use if you are paying for roaming internet rather than using free wi-fi.

Also railteam allow travel on partners if connections are missed and so surely if they don't run you could use the next one (ie Thalys).
I was on the 0626 from Brussels last Thur and that was crewed by French speaking crews. Are the ICE's from Brussels staffed by Belgian crews? Don't forget the Brussels-Dusseldorf DB bus that does still run and also if you do use local Belgian rail towards Aachen don't forget the reduced timetable south of Liege.

 

[Clip]

I noticed this story on it http://www.thelocal.de/20141104/german-train-drivers-to-strike-for-four-days-gdl

And this quote

Regional, intercity and urban S-Bahn services will all be cancelled.

do they class international as 'Intercity' then as it is in its truest sense? If so I may just opt to fly if DB say there will be a coach

 

[gordonthemoron]

don't trust the local. Intercity will mean IC & ICE. I presume the Beamte (civil servant) train drivers will still be working?

 

[blackfive460]

All I can say is that the international ICEs to both Brussels and Amsterdam seemed to run Ok during the last strikes and, of course, Thalys were unaffected.

 

[gordonthemoron]

as presumably are the private firms and Hamburg S-bahn

 

[Clip]

All I can say is that the international ICEs to both Brussels and Amsterdam seemed to run Ok during the last strikes and, of course, Thalys were unaffected.

Ok thanks for the info. Ive emailed them so fingers crossed they will let me know in more detail and anything they confirm Ill post up if any others are affected.

Clip