The German train drivers ended their protest at midnight, the GDL announced on Saturday morning. The strike caused severe disruption to rail and road transport in most urban areas.

German train drivers went on a day-long national strike on Friday at 2 am after the negotiations between the union representing them and the train operator Deutsche Bahn's (DB) ended in failure. Deutsche Bahn failed to meet GDL union demands of improving the wage offer.

The GDL demands a 30-per-cent wage improvement along with a separate employment contract for its members. Approximately 80 per cent of the 20,000 train drivers who work for Deutsche Bahn are members of the GDL union.

GDL head Manfred Schell expects a rapid resolution of the contract conflict. "I expect that the railway will give us a separate contract by Monday," he told the newspaper Bild am Sonntag.

The state-owned railway company has already reached a deal with two other train drivers’ unions - their members will receive a 4.5% rise in wages – an the DB management said it will not consider a deal separate from that reached with the Transnet and GDBA unions.

GDL said that if the negotiations with the state-owned rail company, Deutsche Bahn will fail again, further work actions would begin next Wednesday.