Deutsche Bahn passengers can breathe a sigh of relief: the train drivers’ union GDL is ending its strike earlier than initially planned. The union has called on its members to end the strike on Monday morning at 2 a.m. instead of 6 p.m. as originally planned in view of new negotiations in the collective bargaining dispute. According to Deutsche Bahn, the regular timetable will be offered again once the strike ends. This should make it easier for commuters in particular to start the new week.
“Nevertheless, there will still be isolated restrictions in the long-distance transport offering over the course of Monday. There may also be regionally different restrictions in regional transport over the course of Monday,” the company warned. The strike in freight transport ended on Sunday evening. According to its own information, the railway has been working through the traffic jam since 6 p.m. “Experience shows that it takes several days until freight traffic is back in regular operation,” said a DB spokesman. In freight transport, trains are usually not canceled due to a strike; instead, a long traffic jam occurs.
On top of that, there will be more reliability for rail customers in the coming weeks: the company and the union have also agreed on a peace obligation until March 3rd. As things currently stand, strikes at the railways will not be an issue in the next five weeks. The street carnival from February 8th to 13th also falls during this time, when the trains are usually very full, especially in the Rhineland.
Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing welcomed the return to the negotiating table. “I call on both collective bargaining parties to approach the talks with the necessary seriousness and to work responsibly on a solution,” said the FDP politician. “The strikes of the last few days have been an enormous burden for rail passengers and our companies.”
Both sides are aiming for a collective bargaining agreement by the beginning of March
From February 5th until the end of the peace obligation, the railways and the GDL want to negotiate new collective agreements behind closed doors. “In the event that one of the two sides reports the need, two moderators will be called in immediately to provide support,” the railway said. The declared goal of both sides is to reach a collective agreement by the end of the peace obligation.
On Saturday morning it became known that both sides were in talks again. It was said that all topics were discussed in a “constructive atmosphere” and formed into a roadmap for further negotiations.
Working hours and more money are still on the agenda
The payment of a 1,500 euro inflation compensation bonus has already been agreed in March. When asked about higher fees, the railway said it was willing to negotiate fixed amounts instead of just percentage increases. The issue of working hours, which is particularly important for the GDL, is also on the agenda for the upcoming negotiations. It was said that the railway is already talking about “models for reducing working hours” for shift workers.
First communication after weeks of escalation
The current strike is the fourth strike since the collective bargaining dispute began. It started on Tuesday evening for freight traffic and on Wednesday morning for passenger traffic. In the past few days, the railway has offered around 20 percent of the usual long-distance service with an emergency timetable. In regional transport, the effects of the strike, as with previous GDL labor disputes, varied depending on the region.
Last week, the group presented an offer that includes 4.8 percent more money for employees from August and a further 5 percent more from April 2025. According to this DB offer, from January 2026, train drivers and train attendants can then decide between a further pay increase of 2.7 percent or one hour less work per week.
The GDL initially rejected this offer last week. She was particularly bothered by one restriction: the DB has made the option available on January 1, 2026 subject to the condition that there are enough train drivers and train attendants employed in the group.
There was no mention of a new employer offer in the press releases from both sides on Saturday.
The strike cost Deutsche Bahn millions
The strike, like the three previous GDL industrial disputes, caused thousands of train cancellations. According to the company, each day of the strike cost the railway 25 million euros. The costs for the GDL cannot be precisely quantified. According to Weselsky, the union pays the strikers 10 euros in strike pay per hour and a maximum of 100 euros per shift. The strike participation was recently not made public. Around 10,000 DB employees are currently paid according to collective agreements negotiated with the GDL. The Railway and Transport Union (EVG) is much more strongly represented in the group.
