With its more than five-day strike in the freight transport of Deutsche Bahn, the train drivers' union GDL is damaging the company's goal of shifting more transports to the railways.

"It is a strike against the climate," said DB Cargo boss Sigrid Nikutta on Wednesday.

"For environmentally friendly rail freight transport, the consequences will extend far beyond the actual strike."

The planned strike on Wednesday evening lies in the middle of the production week and thus hits the economy.

You expect customers to shift transports to trucks.

DB Cargo has also commissioned cooperation partners to drive trains in order to ensure traffic that is relevant to the system and supply.

Do everything possible to ensure that all trains that are important for industry are in operation.

The strike is scheduled until 2:00 a.m. on Tuesday.

It particularly affects the steel industry, automotive and mechanical engineering suppliers, the chemical industry and the mineral oil industry.

In previous strikes, 200 to 300 trains jammed at peak times and only reached their destinations late.

The strike in passenger traffic, which is due to begin on Thursday night, is boosting demand for domestic flights at Lufthansa. Lufthansa and its subsidiary Eurowings would offer 7,000 additional seats by Tuesday, the airline announced on Wednesday. For a total of 150 flights, the airlines want to use larger machines than originally planned. Lufthansa will also offer 22 extra flights to and from Frankfurt and Munich. Eurowings is also planning additional flights on the most important domestic German routes.