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Frankfurt - A strike by Germany's train drivers will cost German rail operator Deutsche Bahn more than €100m, its chief executive told a German newspaper.
Germany's train drivers' union said on Friday it would cut short a planned four-day strike and return to work on Saturday at 18:00 - in time for celebrations marking the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.
The strike, that was originally planned to last until early Monday, has thwarted the travel plans of Germans planning to travel by rail to Berlin for Sunday's celebrations.
"The damage so far adds up to more than €100m and will have an equivalent impact on our annual accounts," Deutsche Bahn chief Ruediger Grube told Bild am Sonntag. "Not to mention the damage to our image and the loss of trust."
The train drivers union, with 20 000 members, is in a dispute with Deutsche Bahn over negotiating rights and pay. Its members walked out on Wednesday in the sixth round of the strike.
Deutsche Bahn transports 5.5 million passengers each day on commuter trains and high-speed lines that criss-cross the country. About one-fifth of German freight is also transported by rail.
Economists estimate a strike of more than three days could cost the economy up to €100m a day if assembly lines have to shut because of supply shortages.
German Labour Office chief Frank-Juergen Weise said the damage to the economy could be severe.
"A longer strike - and I have to adjust my forecasts for the labour market," Weise told German radio station SWR2.
The rail operator said about 60% of its main line traffic would be back up and running on Sunday.
