Train driver warning strike causes numerous train cancellations in North Rhine-Westphalia

Düsseldorf (dpa/lnw) – The train driver’s warning strike at several railway companies also led to numerous train cancellations in North Rhine-Westphalia on Friday. Only about one in five trains ran on Deutsche Bahn’s long-distance services. There were also many cancellations and restrictions in regional transport. The German Locomotive Drivers’ Union (GDL) had called for warning strikes by train drivers from Deutsche Bahn, NordWestBahn and RheinRuhrBahn.

On the highways, the ADAC recorded relatively little traffic jams of 50 to 70 kilometers during the morning rush hour. Many commuters had prepared for the rail strike and the risk of slippery conditions announced by the weather service, said a spokesman. There was more going on on Friday afternoon: around 4 p.m., WDR counted a total of around 240 kilometers of traffic jams.

Deutsche Bahn had drawn up emergency timetables for the GDL’s 24-hour warning strike. Only the RE 42 between Münster and Mönchengladbach and the RE 17 between Hagen and Kassel should run regularly. “The emergency timetable is running stable,” said a railway spokeswoman in the afternoon. She described the situation at the train stations as “very quiet”. The need for information was still high: a dpa reporter observed a long queue in front of the information desk in the station lobby at Cologne Central Station at midday.

Train traffic should start fully again at the start of operations on Saturday. However, individual trains could still be canceled as a result of the warning strike. “We expect a scheduled offer again during Saturday,” the railway spokeswoman continued.

The GDL’s nationwide warning strike at Deutsche Bahn began on Thursday at 10 p.m. According to the railway spokeswoman for North Rhine-Westphalia, there had already been isolated restrictions before that because trains had ended their journey at suitable locations. The warning strike at Deutsche Bahn was scheduled to last until Friday evening at 10 p.m.

The rail company National Express was not directly affected by the calls for a GDL warning strike. Punctuality on all lines is very high, said a spokeswoman in the afternoon. She was not aware of any failures. However, on the RE7 Krefeld-Rheine line, the trains had to take a detour at times because a signal box was not occupied.

A spokesman for the railway company Eurobahn also reported that a dispatcher was temporarily missing from a signal box in Düsseldorf in the morning. This led to delays. But there were no failures. “We assume that operations will run smoothly until the end of the day,” he said in the afternoon. The utilization is completely normal. “We didn’t notice any overcrowded trains. It’s a well-filled Friday.”

The railway companies called on passengers to find out about the current traffic situation via the website zuginfo.nrw. A free hotline has also been set up on 08000-996633.

© dpa-infocom, dpa:231208-99-222720/3