Cases of illness cause transport companies to be created. In some cases, connections are thinned out to keep capacity high on other lines.
Anyone who wanted to take the regional train 11 from Bad Soden to Frankfurt-Höchst had to wait longer for their train on Wednesday. “Due to the high number of sick leave among drivers, there are cancellations of individual trips,” reported the Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund (RMV) on an overview page. The same was true for regional train 75 from Wiesbaden via Mainz to Darmstadt. Also for the RB 58 (from Frankfurt to Aschaffenburg), the RB 75 (from Wiesbaden to Aschaffenburg) and the RE 9 (from Frankfurt to Eltville), a spokeswoman for the Hessian state railways said.
Corona, flu or RS viruses ensure that drivers or employees of the interlocks do not show up for duty. Because they are sick or their children are sick and a parent takes care of the children. This applies to all public transport. In Frankfurt alone, according to the local transport company Traffiq, the sickness absence rate among drivers is over 15%.
Deutsche Bahn has therefore already adjusted the S-Bahn timetables. Lines S5, S6 and S9 run less frequently until 8 January. The S9 (from Hanau to Wiesbaden) runs only from Hanau to Kelsterbach until 8 January and is discontinued in the section to Wiesbaden. Passengers should upgrade to the S8. The airport shuttle between Frankfurt Central Station and Kelsterbach on the S8 (from Hanau to Wiesbaden) will be canceled until 8 January. The passengers board the S9. The S5 runs regularly during the week and on Sundays, on Saturdays it leaves every half hour from Frankfurt to Bad Homburg/Friedrichsdorf. The S6 runs from Frankfurt to Friedberg every half hour from Monday to Friday. Normal hours apply on weekends. Travelers should learn more about travel information before they travel, the railroad said.
In Frankfurt, Traffiq operates tram lines 14 and 15 less often from mid-October (14) and late November (15), respectively, and is expected to continue until January 22 to keep capacity on the other lines high. Line 14 (from Mönchhofstraße to Ernst-May-Platz) only runs between Zoo and Ernst-May-Platz. Line 15 (from Haardtwaldplatz to Offenbach) does not run between Südbahnhof and Offenbach in the afternoon. The temporarily suspended bus lines 31 (from Hugo-Junkers-Straße to Zoo) and 79 (from Niederrad Bahnhof to Lyoner Straße) have been in operation again since 12 December.
Traffiq pointed out that, according to the Hessian State Association of Bus Companies (LHO), at least 800 bus drivers were missing in the state. “So many companies work understaffed. Such a high level of illness at this time will inevitably lead to cancellations, despite the staff reserve,” the spokesperson said.
The left in Rome has called for more staff to counter the cancellations. “We are clearly dealing with a structural problem which must be tackled aggressively and which in no case should lead to permanent restrictions on services,” said Daniela Mehler-Würzbach, leftist spokeswoman for transport policy at the Römer.
The traffic department announced that the Frankfurt transport company (VGF) had no structural shortage of personnel or drivers due to too few seats. The training quota for 2022 has been reached. The January and February 2023 driving school courses are busy. But the VGF also operates in a competitive job market.
overview map of the RMV with cancellations and restrictions: https://bit.ly/3Pqf3RQ and links to: rmv.de
