Despite the warning strike on Monday, trams should be allowed to run – without passengers. The BVG wants to prevent overhead lines from freezing again.
dpa | Despite the warning strike in Berlin’s local transport on Monday, trams should be in use to prevent overhead lines from freezing again. Verdi and the Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG) have reached a corresponding compromise, as both announced. However, passenger service should still be excluded – the trams run without passengers.
The background to this special agreement is the hope of being able to drive stably again on Tuesday after the warning strike if the overhead lines are kept free of ice, said a BVG spokeswoman. This increases the chances of avoiding major restrictions for passengers.
Verdi had previously called for all-day warning strikes in Berlin’s local transport on Monday. Tram operations in the capital had already come to a standstill for days last week. The reason for this was not labor disputes, but the weather.
Worry about overhead lines
As a result of freezing rain, the overhead lines of the trams were frozen across the board. Since then, work has been underway to free up all the lines. According to the BVG, almost the entire route network is now accessible again.
Given the expected sub-zero temperatures, the BVG feared another freeze as a result of the warning strike. “In order to keep the overhead lines free of ice and therefore tram operations, regular journeys and work will be necessary in the next few days and nights,” the statement says.
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