Wednesday 10, January
S-Bahn strike: Berlin rail transport disrupted till Friday
From 2:00 on Wednesday morning until Friday at 18:000 the Berlin S-Bahn network will remain largely shut down due to another strike by the German Locomotive Drivers’ Union (GDL) which is affecting rail traffic across the country.
While the BVG remains in service, the strike affects all regional and long-distance trains on the Deutsche Bahn as well as S-Bahn services. Due to a deal with the union there will be some minimal service on certain lines, primarily connecting surrounding areas to the operational BVG system. These include:
- S3 Erkner – Ostbahnhof
- S46 Königs Wusterhausen – Schöneberg
- S5 Strausberg Nord – Ostbahnhof
- S9Flughafen BER – Friedrichstraße
The replacement bus service currently operating on the North-South S-Bahn tunnel will also continue to operate.
This is not the first time the GDL union has decided to strike in recent months, coming as part of an ongoing collective bargaining dispute. And things might get worse before they get better: in 2015 it took eight rounds of strikes (including one that lasted five days) before a deal was reached.
