German rail passengers have been hit by a train drivers’ strike for the second time in a week.<br /><br />The stoppage over pay forced the cancellation of two-thirds of regional services as well as many commuter trains.<br /><br />Major traffic disruption was reported as people were obliged to use buses, cars and planes.<br /><br />The strike officially started at midday and was due to run until the early hours on Thursday.<br /><br />But the disruption started early as many trains were cancelled before the strike had even begun.<br /><br />“It’s absolutely sickening. Because only we the people are affected and not the right ones,” said a woman at a Frankfurt railway station.<br /><br />“That such a small group can bring half of Germany to a halt, that’s impossible,” a man added.<br /><br />The state-owned rail operator Deutsche Bahn called the stoppage “completely incomprehensible”.<br /><br />It has offered a conditional pay rise of two percent but the drivers’ union GDL wants five percent, and a two-hour reduction in the working week from 39 to 37 hours.
