DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Lufthansa is hurting as Germany is gripped by strikes
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-07 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The strikes have also discouraged numerous customers from booking flights — particularly last-minute ”profitable” flights — resulting in a ”significant sales loss” for the company, he added. Lufthansa Group reported operating profit of around €2.7 billion ($2.9 billion) — the third-biggest in its history, and up 76% from 2022. The Verdi union, which represents 25,000 Lufthansa ground staff, had called for them to go on strike from early Thursday and until Saturday morning. The strikes are just the latest in a wave of industrial action in Germany, famed for its strong legal protections for workers, and follow walkouts by train drivers in January over wages. Deutsche Bahn, Germany’s state-owned rail operator, said it expected the industrial action to have a “massive” impact on its operations.

Persons: Berlin CNN —, Remco Steenbergen, Verdi, Marvin Reschinsky, Michael Niggemann, Chris Stern, Olesya Dmitracova, Eve Brennan, Rob North Organizations: Berlin CNN, Berlin CNN — Germany’s, Lufthansa Group, Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, Security, Hamburg, Monetary Fund, Deutsche Bahn Locations: Berlin, €, Frankfurt, Dusseldorf, Germany, Germany’s, London

BERLIN (AP) — Germany's state-owned development bank has sold shares in the company that owns the national postal service for about 2.17 billion euros ($2.3 billion), reducing the government's stake and raising money to help finance improvements to the country's rail network. The sale cuts the state's stake in DHL to 16.5%, though it is still the largest single shareholder. The proceeds are to be used to strengthen the capital of Germany's main railway operator, the state-owned Deutsche Bahn, to help it upgrade railway infrastructure, the Finance Ministry said Wednesday. The government is turning to privatization proceeds to help finance improvements to the rail network after a court ruling forced it to plug a big hole in this year's budget and reconsider its wider financial plans. The maneuver ran afoul of Germany’s strict self-imposed limits on running up debt.

Organizations: BERLIN, —, Deutsche, DHL Group, DHL, Deutsche Bahn, Finance Ministry Locations: — Germany's, Germany's

BERLIN (AP) — Germany's train drivers' union is ending its six-day strike early and is back in talks with the country's national railway operator, German news agency dpa reported Saturday. The freight transport strike will end on Sunday evening at 6 p.m. (1700 GMT). This week's strike was the fourth one by the union during the current negotiations to push their demands in a rancorous dispute with the country’s main railway operator, state-owned Deutsche Bahn, over working hours and pay. Both parties were back in talks on Saturday already and said there would be no further strikes until March 3, dpa reported. In addition to pay raises, the union has been calling for working hours to be reduced from 38 to 35 per week without a pay cut, a demand which Deutsche Bahn has so far refused.

Organizations: BERLIN, Deutsche Bahn

☆ German Train Drivers Ramp up Pressure With Longest Strike Yet
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN (Reuters) - German train drivers walked off the job again on Wednesday in what is set to be Germany's longest-ever rail strike, spelling more headaches for commuters with scant signs of a return to the negotiating table on the horizon. A spokesperson for the national rail operator spoke of renewed "massive restrictions" across the country. That is the only way," the spokesperson told reporters, pointing to the six-day strike's "massive impact on the economy". Drivers in rail freight are holding a simultaneous strike. "We have to strike longer and harder because the railway management is resistant to advice," he said.

Persons: Claus Weselsky, didn't, Rachel More Organizations: BERLIN, Deutsche Bahn, ARD, Deutsche

The strike by the GDL union will affect passenger services and freight trains operated by state-owned Deutsche Bahn until 6 p.m. (1700 GMT) on Monday. The union held a three-day strike earlier this month and two walkouts last year which lasted up to 24 hours. On Wednesday, train travel across the country and in many cities ground to a halt again with commuters and other travelers struggling to find alternatives involving long-distance bus or car travel or flights. “European freight traffic across the Alps, Poland or to Scandinavia as well as the seaports in Holland or Belgium will also be affected,” said Deutsche Bahn. With negotiations stalled, Germany's transportation minister said the government was not ruling out arbitration proceedings between GDL and Deutsche Bahn.

Persons: ”, Volker Wissing Organizations: BERLIN, Deutsche Bahn Locations: Poland, Scandinavia, Holland, Belgium

☆ A six-day train strike is the last thing the German economy needs
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

London CNN —Germany is bracing for widespread disruption to rail services after train drivers embarked on a record six-day strike Wednesday, which will further strain crucial supply chains and deal a new blow to the sputtering economy. The state-owned rail operator said the action would cause “massive disruptions” to long-distance, regional and city commuter services until Monday. That was a major drag on the economy overall, with gross domestic product falling 0.3% in 2023, likely the weakest performance among Europe’s big countries. The strike represents “a major logistical challenge” for the chemical and pharmaceutical sector, the German Chemicals Industry Association told CNN. Germany’s supply chains are already struggling because of attacks on ships in the Red Sea.

Persons: Joerg Kraemer, “, ”, Anja, GDL, Claus Weselsky, Tesla, Michael Groemling, Chris Stern Organizations: London CNN —, Germany’s, Deutsche Bahn, Freight, Deutsche Bahn’s, German Chemicals Industry Association, CNN, German Association of, Automotive Industry, Tuesday Deutsche Bahn, Cologne Institute, Economic Research Locations: London CNN — Germany, Germany, Germany’s, “, Red, Berlin

☆ Rail Workers in Germany Start 6-Day Strike Over Pay and Hours
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( Christopher F. Schuetze | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Passenger train drivers in Germany walked off the job on Wednesday and vowed not to return for six days in a strike over working conditions and pay that is expected to halt most long-distance and commuter rail travel across the country. The strike, one of the most significant on the national rail service in years, was announced on Monday by Claus Weselsky, the chairman of the G.D.L., a union that represents German train drivers. The rail strike, the fourth in two months, comes amid a risk of reduced funding for the rail system after a court decision that stopped the government from repurposing money from a coronavirus pandemic fund for green projects. It also comes amid a trend of worsening performance of German trains. Drivers of cargo trains started the strike on Tuesday evening.

Persons: Claus Weselsky, Weselsky, Chancellor Olaf Scholz Organizations: Deutsche Bahn Locations: Germany

☆ Milan-Ljubljana train route to be revived after over 100 years
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Julia Buckley | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Now, a new route opening up fast, direct access between two European countries will spin passengers back more than a century to the times of the Habsburg empire. It is thought that this is the first train from Milan to Ljubljana since the empire was dissolved in 1918. It’s also picking up the route of a night train from Budapest to Venice, which passed through Ljubljana, but finished in 2011. Since 2018, there has been a regional train from Trieste to Ljubljana, but train staff of the two operators switch at the border at Villa Opicina station. “Trieste and Ljubljana were first connected by train in 1857, when both cities were part of the Habsburg Empire.

Persons: we’ll, Stanley Tucci, Francesca Volpi, Slovenia’s, Habsburg, It’s, “, It'll, ”, Giovanni Vale, Markus Mainka, Trenitalia Organizations: CNN, intel, Slovenian Railways, Bloomberg, Getty, Spanish Riding, Austro, Croatian Railways, South Railway Company, Deutsche Bahn Locations: Habsburg, Italy, Slovenia, Slovenian, Milano Centrale, Milan, Ljubljana, Venice, Trieste, Postojna, Skocjan, Budapest, Villa, Rijeka, “ Trieste, Vienna, Zagreb, Belgrade, Balkans, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Munich

BERLIN (AP) — Heavy snowfalls and freezing rain across Germany Wednesday led to the cancellation of hundreds of flights and trains, crashes on icy roads, and school closures. At Frankfurt airport, Germany's biggest, more than 500 flights were canceled, while in Munich over 250 arrivals and departures were canceled. In western Germany, Saarbruecken airport closed for the day, as Duesseldorf and Cologne/Bonn airports were also affected by delays and cancelations. The freezing rain across western and southern Germany also led to countless crashes on icy roads in the early morning hours of Wednesday. As a precaution, many schools and kindergartens in the country closed for the day, and some companies offered their employees the option of working from home.

Organizations: BERLIN, Deutsche Bahn, ICE, Associated Press Locations: Germany, Frankfurt, Munich, Saarbruecken, Duesseldorf, Cologne, Bonn

Now, many are warning that the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is capitalizing on the chaos for its own political gain. Sean Gallup/Getty ImagesA tractor displays a banner with the logo of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party that reads: "Germany needs new elections!" “Supporting democratic protests like this against traffic light madness will continue to be a concern of our hearts,” one post reads. The traffic light will soon be standing all alone.”The “traffic light” is a reference to Scholz’s coalition government – an allusion to the colors of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), the Free Democratic Party (FDP) and the Greens it is comprised of. Far-right coup fantasiesGerman ministers and a domestic intelligence chief have warned how right-wing extremists could try to exploit the farmers’ protests.

Persons: Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s, Kirill Kudryavtsev, Sean Gallup, Martin, ” Steven, Björn Höcke, Scholz, Johannes Kiess, ” Kiess, Jens Schlueter, Kiess, Robert Habeck, ” “, ” Habeck, Kay Nietfeld, Stephan Kramer, –, ” Kramer, ”, Nadine Schmidt, Claudia Otto, Sophie Tanno Organizations: Germany CNN — Farmers, Farmers, Getty, Social Democratic Party, SPD, Free Democratic Party, Greens, Germany’s Office, Homeland, Deutsche, University of Leipzig, CNN, “, Ukraine, Tractors, CDU, CSU, Christian Democratic Union, Christian Social Locations: Berlin, Germany, Frankfurt, AFP, Brandenburg, Hamburg, Cologne, Bremen, Nuremberg, Munich, Rügen, Pomerania, Thuringia, Berlin ., Dresden, Saxony, Deutsche Bahn, Cottbus, Torgau, London

☆ More than 700 flights cancelled as Munich sees heavy snowfall
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( Benjamin Brown | Sophie Tanno | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Around 760 flights were canceled at Munich Airport on Saturday due to heavy snowfall, an airport spokesperson told CNN. Buses, trams, and some train services in Munich were also suspended due to the snow, according to Munich’s public transport company. Munich’s central train station was closed for arrivals, while long-distance services have been suspended entirely, according to Germany’s national railway company Deutsche Bahn. Germany’s regional Süddeutsche Zeitung reported that huge numbers of travellers have been left stranded at Munich’s main station. Bavarian public broadcaster Bayerischer Rundfunk on Saturday reported that the 44 centimetres of snow in Munich was the most snowfall ever recorded in December in the Bavarian state capital since records began in 1933.

Persons: I’ve, “, there’s, Peter Kneffel Organizations: CNN, Munich Airport, Deutsche Bahn . Deutsche Bahn, Zeitung, Getty, Police, Saturday, Bayern Munich, Union Berlin, Bayerischer Rundfunk Locations: Munich, Bavaria, Union, Bavarian

☆ Munich flights, long-distance trains cancelled due to snow
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Dec 2 (Reuters) - Long-distance trains and hundreds of flights in and out of the German city of Munich were cancelled on Saturday because of heavy snowfall, according to statements by Deutsche Bahn and Munich Airport. Flights were not scheduled to depart or arrive at Munich airport until at least 6 a.m. (0500 GMT) on Sunday according to a statement on its website. Trains could not arrive at Munich's central train station, Deutsche Bahn said on its website. The halt was expected to last all day, it added, advising travellers to rebook their trips. Reporting by Victoria Waldersee, Elke Ahlswede; Editing by Alison Williams and Toby ChopraOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Victoria Waldersee, Elke Ahlswede, Alison Williams, Toby Chopra Organizations: Deutsche Bahn, Munich, Thomson Locations: German, Munich, Munich's

The strike by drivers and other workers in the GDL union began at 10 p.m. on Wednesday and was scheduled to end at 6 p.m. on Thursday. The main national railway operator, state-owned Deutsche Bahn, expected to run about 20% of its normal long-distance service. The dispute between Deutsche Bahn and GDL is in its early stages, but already is looking unusually difficult. After negotiations started last week, Deutsche Bahn said it had made an offer that amounts to an 11% raise. Political Cartoons View All 1250 ImagesNegotiations were due to resume on Thursday, but Deutsche Bahn canceled this week's talks after GDL called the strike.

Persons: GDL Organizations: BERLIN, —, Deutsche Bahn Locations: GDL

☆ The night train revolution has been hailed as an alternative to airplanes. Here’s how that’s going
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-12 | by ( Ben Jones | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

Wherever they run, night trains are complicated, labor intensive and expensive to operate – one of the major reasons they went into decline in the first place. The $770 million contract could eventually see up to 370 new overnight carriages introduced to update Italy’s entire overnight train fleet. “Politicians must be clear: the night train market will be effectively closed for a very long time,” he says. So, what does all this mean for the much-vaunted night train revolution? With the honorable exception of government-subsidized Nightjet, which plans to expand rapidly over the next five years, European night train services have yet to match the hype.

Persons: Love, James Brown, David Bowie, Ray Charles, –, they’ve, Charisius, Agatha Christie, James Bond, Mark Smith, ”, “, ÖBB, “ Superliner, Kuleshova, Smith, it’s, Alex Halada, Nick Brooks Organizations: CNN, Orient Express, Austrian Federal Railways, Swiss Federal Railways, Deutsche Bahn, Italian State Railways, Amtrak, California Zephyr, European, Bloomberg, Getty, Regiojet, Compagnie Internationale des, VIA Rail, European Union, Frankfurt, Eurostar, EU Rail, EU Locations: Europe, Russia, Scandinavia, Vienna, Hamburg, Germany, Austria, Italy, Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic, Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, France, Sweden, Milan, Sicily, Messina, Europe’s, United States, Berlin, Stockholm, Denmark, Czech, Prague, Croatia’s, London, Dresden, Copenhagen, Barcelona, Spain, Venice, Florence, Rome, Madrid, Porto, Portugal, Edinburgh, Zurich, AFP, EU

☆ Deutsche Bahn to announce deal to sell Arriva to I Squared on Thursday -sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Parked busses are seen at an Arriva bus bepot in Harlow as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues, Harlow, Britain, April 3, 2020. REUTERS/Andrew Couldridge/ File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsFRANKFURT, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Deutsche Bahn plans to announce on Thursday the sale of its international transport business Arriva to Miami-based infrastructure investor I Squared Capital, sources told Reuters. The two parties will sign the deal by Thursday, two people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday. Reuters had already reported last week that the sale, at around 1.6 billion euros ($1.69 billion) including debt, would be finalised as early as Monday. ($1 = 0.9491 euros)Reporting by Markus Wacket and Emma-Victoria Farr; writing by Tom Sims; Editing by Bill BerkrotOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Andrew Couldridge, Markus Wacket, Victoria Farr, Tom Sims, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Arriva, REUTERS, Rights, Deutsche Bahn, Squared, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Harlow, Britain, Miami

The deal would value Arriva, which operates red London buses and train services in the UK, at around 1.6 billion euros ($1.68 billion) including debt, the sources said. However, while the deal is nearing final stages, the sources cautioned that the timing could still shift. Deutsche Bahn said in an emailed statement: "We want to sell DB Arriva by the end of 2024. Reuters reported in April that British transport company FirstGroup (FGP.L) and I Squared had been weighing competing bids for parts of Arriva. Its annual sales rose to 4.2 billion euros in 2022, making up 7.5% of Deutsche Bahn's total revenue.

Persons: Andrew Couldridge, Emma, Victoria Farr, Andres Gonzalez, Markus Wacket, Susan Fenton Organizations: Arriva, REUTERS, Squared Capital, Deutsche, Reuters, Financial Times, Deutsche Bahn, DB Arriva, London's, Cross Country, Deutsche Bahn's, Thomson Locations: Harlow , Britain, FRANKFURT, LONDON, Miami

☆ German startup Fernride raises $50 mln for self-driving freight trucks
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Nick Carey | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Sept 20 (Reuters) - German self-driving startup Fernride said on Wednesday that it has raised $50 million in Series A funding to increase the use of its "human-assisted" autonomous freight trucks in customer's logistics yards. The Munich-based startup had initially closed the funding round with $31 million, but had extended it due to high investor interest, the company said. New investors include Munich Re's venture capital arm Munich Re Ventures, Bavarian venture capital firm Bayern Kapital and former Siemens Klaus Kleinfeld, who will become chairman of the board at Fernride. Existing investors, including strategic investors HHLA (HHFGn.DE) and Deutsche Bahn (DBN.UL) unit DB Schenker also participated in the funding round. Fernride's trucks currently operate autonomously around 80% of the time, then remote human operators to step in to help the remainder of the time.

Persons: Siemens Klaus Kleinfeld, Hendrik Kramer, DB, Kramer, Nick Carey, David Evans Organizations: Munich Re Ventures, Bayern Kapital, Siemens, Deutsche Bahn, DB Schenker, Volkswagen, Thomson Locations: Munich, Bavarian, Fernride, Hamburg

BERLIN (AP) — A series of fires hit railway infrastructure in the German city of Hamburg overnight, causing widespread disruption to trains between Hamburg and Berlin and between the port city and the Baltic Sea coast. Railway operator Deutsche Bahn said that trains on the main high-speed route between Hamburg and Berlin were canceled because of vandalism. It said it was running some trains on an alternative route that takes up to an hour longer. Hamburg police said that cable ducts next to railway lines were set on fire at three locations in the city between 2:30 and 4 a.m. They said in a statement that they suspect “a political motive as the background” and are seeking witnesses, but gave no further details of the reasons for their suspicions.

Persons: “, ” Organizations: BERLIN, Police, Deutsche Bahn, Hamburg Locations: German, Hamburg, Berlin, Baltic, Rostock

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz speaks during a plenum session of the lower house of parliament, Bundestag, for a general debate on the Federal Government policy in Berlin, Germany September 6, 2023. The chancellor announced a new "Germany pact" with a bundle of measures aimed at reducing bureaucracy, speeding up approval processes for new construction and digitising citizens’ access to key government services. The chancellor rejected the idea of fresh stimulus to boost an economy battling high inflation, financing costs and a drop in exports. Such sums showed Germany was holding its own vis-à-vis the U.S. and the $430 billion U.S. Inflation Reduction Act, he said. For a special Reuters World News podcast on what is ailing the German economy please click here .

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Annegret, Scholz, Sarah Marsh, Andreas Rinke, Thomas Escritt, Miranda Murray, Friederike Heine Our Organizations: Bundestag, Federal Government, REUTERS, Scholz's Social Democrats, Deutsche, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Berlin, Germany, BERLIN, Europe's

☆ Huawei ban would cost German rail operator 400 million euros, der Spiegel reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A Huawei logo is seen on a cell phone screen in their store at Vina del Mar, Chile July 18, 2019. REUTERS/Rodrigo Garrido/File photoBERLIN, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Germany's national railway operator would have to spend up to 400 million euros ($437.44 million) to replace all the components in its infrastructure supplied by Chinese tech giant Huawei Technologies [RIC:RIC:HWT.UL], Spiegel magazine reported on Friday. Deutsche Bahn, which is state-owned, would face delays of five to six years for its projects if the German government decided to ban Huawei components in the short term, the report said, citing an internal company document. A spokesperson for Deutsche Bahn said the company would not comment on internal documents. Any decision to ban Huawei outright would likely draw an angry response from Beijing, with the Chinese foreign ministry having urged Berlin to act in line with its own interests and international rules.

Persons: Rodrigo Garrido, Rachel More, Miranda Murray Organizations: Huawei, Vina del, REUTERS, Huawei Technologies, Spiegel, Deutsche Bahn, Deutsche Telekom, Thomson Locations: Vina del Mar, Chile, BERLIN, Beijing, Berlin

☆ Europe's sleeper train network is expanding. Can it go the distance?
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

For more than a century, sleeper trains have provided a way for everyone, from budget backpackers to royals, to get around Europe. Mounting cost issues led several big operators — such as Germany's Deutsche Bahn — to scrap them over the last decade. Hopes are now building that the night train is heading in a new direction. Large operators like Austria's ÖBB have also committed to their night train products, rolling out modern carriages with improved amenities. So, are sleeper trains back on track?

Organizations: Deutsche Bahn Locations: Europe, Brussels, Berlin

"This would be the nail in the coffin for Huawei in Europe," said Paolo Pescatore, an analyst at PP Foresight. China has asked for Huawei to be one of the main points on the agenda, one of the sources familiar with the matter said. Germany's China hawks expressed outrage in March when a Reuters story revealed that German state rail operator Deutsche Bahn was using Huawei gear to digitalise its operations. Berlin in 2021 passed a law setting high hurdles for makers of telecommunications equipment for the "critical components" of 5G networks. It is estimated it would cost billions of euros to rip out and replace Huawei equipment in European countries, potentially burdening telecom companies already sitting on huge debts.

Persons: Paolo Pescatore, Andrew Small, Mikko Huotari, Sweden's, Sarah Marsh, Andreas Rinke, Supantha Mukherjee, Foo Yun Chee, Sergio Goncalves, Mark Potter Organizations: European, Huawei, Deutsche Telekom, Foresight, Deutsche Bahn, Mercator Institute for China Studies, Telecom, Nokia, Sweden's Ericsson, Thomson Locations: BERLIN, STOCKHOLM, Germany, Brussels, Berlin, Beijing, Europe, China, China's, Denmark, Portugal, West, U.S, Stockholm, Lisbon

☆ Strikes cripple German rail network, four airports
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The walkout, organised by the EVG union, was due to run from 3 a.m. (0100 GMT) to 11 a.m, though the train network was expected to be impacted for the whole day. State-owned Deutsche Bahn said all its long-distance connections would be cancelled until 1 p.m. and that few commuter trains would run. Deutsche Bahn has offered 5% and one-off payments of up to 2,500 euros. Friday's transport strike was set to coincide with a walkout at four German airports - Duesseldorf, Hamburg, Cologne Bonn and Stuttgart - by members of the Verdi union. ($1 = 0.9118 euros)Writing by Rachel More, Editing by Friederike Heine and John StonestreetOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

LONDON, April 20 (Reuters) - British transport company FirstGroup (FGP.L) and infrastructure fund I Squared are weighing competing bids for parts of Deutsche Bahn's international transport business Arriva, according to a number of people familiar with the matter. The British transport company may also consider partnering with another bidder for the UK operations, the two added. Arriva, Deutsche Bahn, FirstGroup and I Squared declined to comment. A Bloomberg report in January suggested Arriva may now fetch as much as 2 billion euros. Binding offers for Arriva are expected in the next couple of months, two of the sources said.

Search resuls for: "Deutsche Bahn"

25 mentions found