Public transport ground to a halt in much of Germany on Thursday as a two-day warning strike began in several federal states. Buses, trams and subways were largely at a standstill in many places, though suburban S-Bahn rail lines operated by the national rail network Deutsche Bahn were still running. Municipal and local public transport network operators warned passengers to expect significant disruptions, after the Verdi union had called for two-days of warning strikes Thursday and Friday. Transport is affected in the states of Berlin, Hamburg, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, North Rhine-Westpha…