After train cancellations in the Rhein-Sieg region S-Bahn trains to run according to timetable again as of Monday

Rhein-Sieg-Kreis · Because of high sick leave among its employees, Deutsche Bahn had suspended S-Bahn services in the region on Thursday evening. Now the company has announced that the S8, S11, S12 and S13/19 trains should be running regularly again as of Monday.

 S-Bahn trains should be running again at Siegburg station from Monday.

S-Bahn trains should be running again at Siegburg station from Monday.

Foto: MEIKE BÖSCHEMEYER/MEIKE BÖSCHEMYER

S-Bahn services in the Rhein-Sieg district had been at a standstill since Thursday evening. This was Deutsche Bahn's reaction to the high number of employees on sick leave. As of Monday, the trains of the affected S-Bahn lines S8, S11, S12 and S13/19 will run according to schedule again, the company announced on Sunday afternoon. However, there may still be isolated train cancellations.

The reason for the short-term suspension of S-Bahn services was large-scale notifications of absence due to illness at short notice in the S-Bahn control rooms. Sickness levels remain high, including among train drivers, the company said on Sunday. This could lead to further isolated cancellations. The timetable information at www.bahn.de will provide information about cancelled connections at short notice.

Meanwhile, the railway and transport union (EVG) is using the cancellations as an opportunity to call for a fundamental railway reform 2.0. "We are currently experiencing a disaster that did not exist in the times of the German Federal Railways," says Rainer Bohnet, chairman of the EVG local association Bonn/Rhein-Sieg. The first thing to do now, he says, is to analyse the causes of a wave of illness that has such a major impact. Then there must be backups that can be drawn on in exceptional situations. "Even if that becomes more expensive. Because fall-back levels cannot be as expensive as a complete failure of a suburban railway system in the Cologne/Bonn/Rhine-Sieg conurbation," says Bohnet.

In view of the current crisis of Deutsche Bahn AG with capacity bottlenecks, staff shortages, delays, train cancellations and accidents like the one near Garmisch-Partenkirchen, a re-nationalisation should also be considered, he said. (Original text: Nadine Quadt / Translation: Jean Lennox)

Meistgelesen
Neueste Artikel
Zum Thema
Aus dem Ressort