The rail strike is paralyzing Germany – and so not only millions of workers, but also countless football fans this weekend are asking themselves: How do I get to my destination? How can I still follow my team’s away game? The most important questions and answers on this topic:
From when until when will the strike take place?
The train drivers’ union GDL has been on strike nationwide on passenger transport at Deutsche Bahn since Wednesday. According to the union’s call, both long-distance and regional transport are affected. The industrial action is not scheduled to end until Monday at 6 p.m. The entire football weekend is affected.
Which team’s fans have the biggest problems?
According to a railway spokeswoman, around 100,000 fans usually use the railway every weekend to get to the games. But as if the DFL had suspected it, there are many derbies or games with both clubs in the first league close together on this match day. For example, in the duels between Frankfurt and Mainz, Dortmund against Bochum, Leverkusen against Gladbach and Augsburg against FC Bayern. But there are also restrictions in local transport. The S8 from Mainz to Frankfurt only runs every hour instead of every half hour. But Cologne also plays in Wolfsburg (around 400 kilometers away between the two stadiums), Leipzig in Stuttgart (468), Darmstadt in Berlin (592) or Freiburg in Bremen (724).
What does the train offer?
The company refers to an “emergency timetable that covers around 20 percent of the regular service. In long-distance transport, “particularly long ICE trains” are in use wherever possible in order to get as many people as possible to their destination despite the strike. The timetable is already for entered into the information systems for the entire strike period. The emergency timetable can be accessed via the timetable information on “bahn.de” and in the DB Navigator. In principle, all passengers are advised to make sure again 24 hours before the start of the journey whether the planned connection is actually running.
What alternatives do fans have?
It’s easy to be creative with the short distances. The people of Bochum offer shuttle buses to Dortmund, the people of Gladbach offer a special train to Leverkusen with the help of a private company. When traveling long distances, the options are limited. The people of Darmstadt, for example, have linked the current status in Berlin and also provide information on flight connections among the options for traveling to the capital. Some clubs have asked their fans to carpool. However, restrictions can also be expected when traveling by car or fan bus due to expected traffic jams.
