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German train strike hits Swiss passengers

Deutsche Bahn train at station.
Various Deutsche Bahn trains, including Swiss connections, have been cancelled from Thursday September 2 at 2am to Tuesday September 7 at 2am. Keystone / Michael Matthey

International rail traffic, including connections between Germany and Switzerland, have been disrupted by striking German train drivers.

Various Deutsche Bahn trains, including Swiss connections, have been cancelled from Thursday September 2 at 2am to Tuesday September 7 at 2 am due to the week-long strike by Germany’s GDL train drivers’ union. It comes after wage talks with rail operator Deutsche Bahn failed to yield a compromise.

Rail customers are expecting severe restrictions to long-distance and regional services in Germany. Deutsche Bahn says one in four long-distance trains will be cancelled. Around 40% of regional and suburban rail services are expected to continue.

The strike is having an impact on train travellers to and from Switzerland. Daily trains between Basel and Berlin will be cancelled that week, Swiss Federal Railways (SBB)External link has announced. The Basel-Cologne rail link will also be cancelled. Passengers on the Zurich-Basel-Hamburg connection will have to change trains in Basel.

Connections between Zurich and Munich will also be reduced. Night trains from Zurich and Basel to Berlin and Hamburg will be cancelled in both directions between September 1-7.

The GDL, which has already held two strikes in August, is demanding a 3.2% increase for drivers in addition to a coronavirus bonus of €600. Deutsche Bahn has said that it is ready to meet the wage rise demand but that the two sides could not agree on when the increase should go into effect.

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