Because public transportation will not be running on Friday evening, a solution also had to be found for the FC St. Pauli fans traveling by train. It has now been found.

Due to the strike at Bogestra, public transport in Gelsenkirchen will be at a standstill on Friday. The second division match between FC Schalke 04 and FC St. Pauli will also be affected. On Tuesday, S04 published a comprehensive package of measures to prevent complete chaos during the journey to and from the game.

However, in addition to the approximately 55,000 Schalke fans, the approximately 6,000 supporters of the league leaders will also be affected. The Royal Blues have also come up with something for them in collaboration with the authorities.

The feared cancellation of the game at short notice, which was feared in parts of the St. Pauli fan scene, will not take place. In any case, it would have been difficult to enforce at such short notice due to the statutes of the DFL.

Normally, the Bogestra would take the guest fans on in shuttle buses in convoy to the stadium. However, this has been canceled due to the strike.

The walking distance between the main train station and the Schalke Arena is a good seven kilometers. For most supporters, this is simply unreasonable and not feasible. In addition, the match departure will take place in the dark at the latest for this Friday evening game. This would also be a cause for concern from a security point of view.

Private buses to the rescue

But now Schalke has also presented a solution for the visiting fans traveling from Hamburg, which is around 300 kilometers away: The transportation of the visiting fans, who arrive at the main train station in Gelsenkirchen and who would otherwise be transported by Bogestra with shuttle buses, will be implemented with private buses, the club announced on Tuesday.

This should ensure that the FC St. Pauli supporters will be safe and on time for the kick-off in the Schalke Arena.