Railway strike may slow down Berlin Wall celebrations

BERLIN: Germany’s capital is all geared up to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall on Sunday, with festivities planned over the weekend at various places of historical significance. But, not all revelers may have a good time, as train drivers across the country have gone on a strike over a payment dispute with the rail operator.

Much like Mumbai, Berlin relies heavily on its train network, thus the city has been paralysed with only 15-20% of its high-speed trains on track.

The strike, the longest in the history of German railways, began last Wednesday for freight trains and was extended to passenger trains on Thursday. Expected to end only on Monday, it will not only affect the 5.5 million daily passengers, but also around 2 million visitors who are expected to be in Berlin to witness history.

With many opting to use their vehicles, rather than miss out on events, there were traffic snarls on Friday in many parts of the city.

While some are against the strike, there are others who think the pay hike demands of the train drivers are justified.