Most intercity trains to run as three-day rail strike begins
Around seven out of ten intercity (IC) trains will run on Monday, the first full day of a three-day rail strike in Belgium, according to the national railway operator NMBS/SNCB.
About half of the local L trains and suburban S trains will also operate, while only a limited number of P trains are expected to run.
Strike from Sunday evening
The disruption is due to a strike called by the socialist rail union ACOD Spoor. The industrial action runs from 10:00 p.m. on Sunday, 8 March, until 10:00 p.m. on Wednesday, 11 March.
Despite the strike, SNCB said that all P student trains will run on Sunday evening, allowing students to return to their university cities. These services increase capacity to destinations such as Brussels, Leuven, Ghent, Liège and Louvain-la-Neuve.
Disruptions will vary each day
The rail operator warned that the impact of the strike will vary from day to day. Passengers are advised to plan their journeys carefully and check the online journey planner, where the adapted timetable will be available from Sunday.
The strike follows earlier tensions between rail unions and management. A previous strike notice for 5, 10 and 12 February was rejected by HR Rail, the joint personnel body of SNCB and Infrabel. The unions challenged that decision before the Council of State, but the appeal was unsuccessful.
Growing frustration over strikes
Railway chief Sophie Dutordoir had already expressed frustration earlier this year over the frequency of industrial action.
“I don't underestimate the changes for my employees, but what's happening today is really no longer reasonable,” she said in January, referring to the repeated strikes.
Monday’s action marks the 33rd day of railway strikes within a year, underlining the ongoing tensions within Belgium’s rail sector.
© BELGA PHOTO EMILE WINDAL
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