The Bundesliga top game between Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig on Friday evening should get on the nerves of the stadium visitors – and that long before kick-off. Chaos threatens due to a warning strike in local public transport.
On “normal” match days, around 30,000 of the more than 80,000 spectators travel by public transport. However, the Dortmunder Stadtwerke DSW 21 have announced that due to the strike, all buses and light rail vehicles will be at a standstill from the start of operations on Friday until Saturday morning.
In addition to the BVB home game, there will also be a motorcycle fair with around 20,000 visitors and a comedian appearance with around 4,000 spectators in the neighboring Westfalenhallen on Friday.
DSW 21 cannot absorb a failure
According to Frank Fligge from DSW 21, the travel to the stadium cannot be compensated for with buses from other companies. Because of the significantly larger light rail vehicles, this would at most be “a drop in the bucket,” says Fligge. They also want to respect the employees’ right to strike.
Park and ride offers are also no longer available
The large park-and-ride car parks at the university and at Gottesacker are also affected by the cancellations. Fans can park their cars there, but there are no shuttle buses to the stadium. It takes about 30 to 40 minutes to walk from the university car park.
BVB asks fans
Deutsche Bahn and S-Bahn trains not affected by the strike may be overloaded. That goes Borussia Dortmund out of. The association is in contact with transport companies, the police, the fire brigade and the city in order to be prepared for possible traffic chaos. He asks fans with tickets to the game to travel to the stadium as early as possible – preferably on foot or by bike.
Tips for getting there
BVB advises ticket holders from outside to take the Deutsche Bahn, which is not on strike, to the main train station – and to start the 40-minute walk from there. For safety reasons, no one should take the regional train to the “Signal Iduna Park” stop or the S-Bahn to the Möllerbrücke stop. The club expects it to be crowded there quickly.
Holding bays as parking areas
Drivers should also not rely on finding a parking space around the stadium, according to BVB. DSW 21 allows the bus bays around the stadium to be used as parking spaces during the day of the strike. This has also been agreed with the city so that nobody has to fear a ticket. At the same time, however, only a few additional parking spaces will be created.
Give it time after the final whistle
Thousands of fans usually pour out of the stadium very quickly after the game is over. Borussia Dortmund asks the fans to take their time and keep calm this time. You should therefore allow for longer waiting and dwell times and also think about the safety of children and young people.
Commuters in Dortmund have to reschedule
Due to the announced strike in Dortmund’s local transport on Friday, many commuters who want to go to school or work have to reschedule. On normal days, the DSW 21 carries up to 175,000 passengers.
