SNCB cancels 100 trains a day until Friday due to heat
Train operator SNCB/NMBS is cancelling 100 trains a day from Wednesday until Friday as a result of high temperatures. According to the company, the measure is necessary to ensure the well-being and safety of passengers and staff.
Every weekday, the SNCB operates 3,800 trains across its network. Despite recent modernisation, the oldest trains have no air-conditioning and are more prone to breakdowns. In hot weather, this can affect passengers’ comfort, as well as staff working conditions.
“Given the current temperatures and the expected duration of this heatwave, SNCB is doing everything possible to ensure its passengers are transported in the best possible conditions of comfort and safety, by ensuring that the rolling stock in service is best suited to the weather conditions,” the company said.
As a precaution, from Wednesday, peak-hour commuter trains will be cancelled. The Geraardsbergen-Mechelen and Hal-Vilvoorde services will be reduced to one train per hour.
“These changes affect routes for which alternatives remain available to passengers,” the SNCB says.
The company advises the most vulnerable travellers to avoid travelling and urges others to avoid peak times as far as possible and to drink plenty of water. Around 100 stations have free water fountains available to passengers.
Passengers at Marche en Famenne station © PHOTO POOL UNION EUROPEENNE / AGENCE HANS LUCAS
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