Germany’s rail network faced another day of disruption on 22 July as the locomotive-engineers’ union GDL prolonged its strike against Deutsche Bahn (DB). According to the AK&M wire at 19:59 CET, only one in three ICE and IC trains operated, while regional timetables varied by state. Freight capacity has fallen 45 %, forcing manufacturers in Bavaria and Saxony to switch to road haulage. The Federal Ministry for Transport said contingency bus links had moved 120,000 passengers since Monday but warned that seat capacity for the 23–24 July peak getaway cannot be guaranteed. DB has capped walk-up fares at €39.90 and waived rebooking fees; however, travel-management firms report that fully flexible tickets are selling out two days in advance. Smaller airports such as Nürnberg and Bremen have seen a 12 % spike in domestic flight bookings as corporates reroute travellers. Mobility teams should remind staff that same-day rail delays do not automatically qualify for EU261 compensation when journeys are replaced by flights. Talks between GDL and DB resume on 24 July; the government has hinted at statutory arbitration if no deal is reached. Companies with just-in-time supply chains should pre-book trucking slots or explore combined rail-truck solutions via the ‘Bahn Switcher’ platform.
Source: AK&M Newswire
