The strike coincides with increased demand for rail services following the easing of coronavirus curbs over the summer holidays. Stranded travelers stood waiting for their delayed trains at stations across Germany.

"The strike is understandable. I support it, but the problem is that there is hardly any information on the internet about it," said David Jungck, a traveler stranded at Berlin's main railway station.

Deutsche Bahn spokesperson Achim Stauss said the company was trying to keep one in four long-distance trains running and to have at least a trip every two hours between large cities.

"We are doing our best to get people to their destination today," Stauss said, urging travelers to postpone unnecessary trips.

The strike is due to run until the early hours of Friday morning. The GDL union that represents some train drivers will decide next week whether to continue its strike at Deutsche Bahn after wage talks with the company failed, its chief Claus Weselsky told broadcaster ZDF on Wednesday.

Weselsky said the early hours of the strike, which started at 2 local time for passenger services on Wednesday, had been successful. The strike brought around 700 trains to a standstill.

"I have to say very clearly that our colleagues went on strike in a very disciplined manner," Weselsky told Reuters, adding the union would only return to the negotiating table if Deutsche Bahn made an improved offer.

GDL is demanding wage increases of around 3.2 percent and a one-time coronavirus allowance of 600 euros (US$700). Deutsche Bahn had offered wage increases in two steps for the next two years, but the union wants the raise to kick in earlier.

After reporting a loss of 5.7 billion euros in 2020, the state-owned railway said the business had been recovering since April, with COVID-19 travel restrictions easing and improving cargo business.

The firm said it expected to edge back to profit in 2022, but floods that hit western Germany last month had caused around 1.3 billion euros worth of damage.

Economists and lobby groups say the strike at the cargo business could exacerbate supply chain bottlenecks in Europe's biggest economy.

Germany's VDA car industry association said the strike would create uncertainty and harm the logistics industry, which is struggling to recover from the coronavirus crisis.

"If the strikes last longer, considerable costs can arise for companies because interrupted supply chains quickly lead to production stoppages," VDA president Hildegard Mueller told Reuters.

The last railway strike was called by the EVG workers union in December 2018 and lasted only four hours.

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