Traffic Picks up Again in Germany After Massive Transport Strike

Berlin — Public transport operations in Germany, including long-distance train services and air traffic, were slowly returning to normal in the early hours of Tuesday following a massive transport strike that brought large parts of the country to a standstill.

Germany's unions put the brakes on travel nationwide on Monday as thousands of workers in airports, railways and elsewhere walked off the job in pay disputes.

At Frankfurt Airport, Germany's largest, there was no passenger service and air traffic came to an almost complete stop.

Public transport in much of the country also came to a halt as part of the strike. Railways, waterways and buses were affected in seven of the country's 16 states.

Despite the strike having ended at midnight (2200 GMT), passengers should still expect delays and cancellations on Tuesday, especially on long-distance train services, according to a spokesperson for national railway company Deutsche Bahn.

Regional and inner-city services would also be affected for a while longer as it took time to transfer trains and personnel to where they were needed, he said.

A spokesman for Frankfurt Airport said that delays were still expected on Tuesday.

The 24-hour nationwide strike was called by major trade union Verdi together with the EVG railway union, to push for higher wages in the transport sector amid high levels of inflation.

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