Strike Update: France and Germany Subway & Rail
It seems like half the world is “striking out” the last few days. Broadway stagehands and TV comedy writers have walked out, and now French and German rail employees are taking to the picket lines.
Here’s the latest on the European rail strikes:
Day Two of strikes, affecting national trains, regional trains, and metro. Strikes expected to continue into tomorrow (Friday).
The French government announced Thursday that the rail unions are willing to negotiate.
150 national TGV trains (out of 700) ran on Thursday, which is better than the 90 that ran Wednesday.
6 out of 16 Paris Metro lines were out of service on Thursday. (There seems to be a little light at the end of the metro tunnel.)
On Thursday, passenger train drivers joined a larger rail strike begun Wednesday for higher wages and better working conditions in Germany.
Deutsche Bahn (German National Railways) calls the strike the biggest in its history.
“Heavily reduced” services have meant that the number of trains running is cut in half in most places, leaving travelers and commuters in a bind.
Service delays in Berlin (20-40 minutes) on commuter lines.
Service expected to resume Saturday morning.
To be continued tomorrow… (hopefully with happier news on the transportation front!)
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