The fact that the train is so often late is due to the many construction sites and increasing traffic on the tracks. This is how the management of the group explains it. Another explanation came from the employee side.
Deutsche Bahn is less punctual than it has been for a long time, and according to the union, this is not only due to the numerous construction sites and the overloaded rail network. The railway and transport union criticizes that the railways have gotten into the tense situation to a large extent due to a lack of staff. “The shortage of skilled workers has also affected DB AG,” said Vice Chairman Martin Burkert of the German Press Agency.
“A lack of staff is already leading to significant restrictions in rail traffic and restricted services on the trains,” added Burkert. “The millions of overtime hours can no longer compensate for possible train cancellations. There is an acute need for action.”
In a letter to HR Director Martin Seiler, the union admitted that the number of employees had increased slightly. “Nevertheless, we are now receiving urgent warnings from our colleagues almost every day about a lack of operational personnel. Whole shifts in train operations, in maintenance or in signal boxes can no longer be manned.”
300 hours of overtime are not uncommon
As a result, trains are not made available on time, there is a lack of readiness in the event of disruptions and staff shortages, and a lack of drivers leads to breakdowns almost every day. “In many areas, train traffic can only be maintained by working a large number of overtime hours.” 300 and more hours of overtime are not uncommon for train drivers.
The train is currently more unreliable than it has been for a long time. In the past three months, not even 60 percent of long-distance trains were on time. CEO Richard Lutz had stated that the current misery was not due to a lack of staff. Rather, more and more trains are running on the network, which is in need of rehabilitation. At the same time, a lot is being built.
Report: 6.8 million hours of overtime accumulated
According to the group’s most recent internal personnel report from July, Deutsche Bahn’s pay scale employees in Germany accumulated 6.8 million overtime hours, 300,000 more than a year ago. Overtime has been a hot topic at Deutsche Bahn for years. Before the Corona crisis, for example, their number was 6.4 million in the summer of 2019. A few years earlier, eight million hours of overtime were on the Deutsche Bahn account. The number of employees has increased since then.
According to the personnel report, Deutsche Bahn has 1,600 more employees in Germany than a year ago, a total of around 221,300. In most business areas, however, the number of employees was still below plan.
Source: Stern
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
