Berlin - German train drivers are to mount a four-day strike this week, setting the stage for rail chaos across Europe's biggest economy.
The train drivers' union GDL said on Tuesday that passenger rail services would come to a halt from 01:00 GMT Thursday, when its members will walk off the job in support of a claim for higher wages and a shorter working week.
Rail freight services would end Wednesday at 14:00 GMT in what the union's fourth strike since October 7.
The new action by train drivers follows the collapse on the weekend of talks between the union and the railway company Deutsche Bahn.
The GDL is demanding a 5% pay hike and two hours less work each week.
The GDL's decision to launch a four-day strike came about two weeks after train drivers walked off the job for 50 hours, resulting in widespread disruptions in weekend rail services across the country.