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A strike by German train drivers to affect Polish rail services

Photo: Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Photo: Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images
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Strikes by the German train drivers’ union GDL on March 7 and 8 will result in many Deutsche Bahn services not running, and Polish rail operator PKP Intercity announced on Wednesday that trains from Poland to Germany will run on shortened routes.

PKP Intercity said in a press release that the strike from 0200 on Thursday until 1300 on Friday would affect services. The 'Chopin' train will run a shorter service from Warsaw to Salzburg and back. On the Saltzburg-Munich and Munich-Salzburg stretch, travelers will be able to use selected regional trains, the rail carrier said.

On Thursday, March 7, all trains from Poland to Berlin and vice versa will terminate and start in Rzepin, western Poland. Transit between Frankfurt (Oder) and Berlin will be conducted by regional train services, PKP Intercity said.

On Friday, March 8, some Poland-Berlin/Berlin-Poland services will leave from or terminate at Rzepin, and between Rzepin and Frankfurt (Oder), there will be a replacement bus service with the Frankfurt (Oder)-Berlin stretch being serviced by regional trains.

The Polish carrier added that train services on March 8 may be subject to change depending on further arrangements with the German rail carrier.

The strikes are the latest in a wave of industrial action to hit Germany, where high inflation and staff bottlenecks have soured wage negotiations in key parts of the transport sector, including national rail, air travel, and public transport.

Train drivers began fresh strikes at 2 a.m. (0100 GMT) on Thursday, with national rail operator Deutsche Bahn warning travelers that it could run only a small fraction of its usual services.

That walkout, set to last 35 hours, marks the beginning of a wave of rail strikes planned by GDL as it pushes for reduced working hours at full pay.
Source: PAP, Reuters
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