The nine-day rail strike that has been disrupting public transport in Belgium has entered its seventh full day. The impact is expected to be about the same as on Thursday in Flanders and Brussels, but in Wallonia, almost no trains are running.
Belgium's ongoing nine-day rail strike started at 22:00 on Friday 21 February and will run until 22:00 on Sunday 2 March. After a hectic start to the working week – marked by overcrowded trains and traffic jams – the situation improved slightly from Wednesday, with more trains running.
A reduced alternative train service is being offered for every day based on the staff available. The impact differs every day, which can be explained by the alternation in staff who are called to strike: on Friday, signalling staff, Infrabel and train drivers will strike.
On Friday, the alternative train service is (approximately) as follows:
- One in two IC (Inter-City) trains will run. They directly connect major cities and only stop at the biggest stations.
- Two in five S (suburban) trains and L (local) trains will run (around 40%). S trains run at fixed times in and around major cities, stopping at most stations. L trains run between the major cities but stop at every station along the route.
- Again, almost no P (peak) trains will run. They normally only run during the morning and evening rush hours. This has been the case all week.
However, due to the partial operation of the Infrabel signal box in Namur on Friday (it will be closed from 14:00 to 22:00), hardly any trains will be running in parts of Wallonia.
"Train traffic in the province of Luxembourg, in most of the province of Namur and the east of Walloon Brabant, particularly between Ottignies and Brussels, will be severely disrupted, if not virtually impossible," national railway operator SNCB said.
A list published on its website shows that more than 150 stations will not be served on Friday, including Namur, Dinant, Wavre, Louvain-la-Neuve, Marche-en-Famenne and Neufchâteau, but also some tourist destinations on the Belgian coast. SNCB has therefore also adjusted the route of certain trains.
Saturday's schedule
Saturday 1 March marks the penultimate day of the strike. As on Friday, trains will not run on a large part of the railway network in the south of Belgium on Saturday. The same number of IC trains will be running (around 50%), while fewer S and L trains (just one in three) will be running.
The action is being organised by two smaller railway unions and is directed at several Federal Government measures, including the increased retirement age for train drivers and conductors, the scrapping of small train stations and the possible abolition or reduction of bonuses for night and Sunday work.
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The strike will end at 22:00 on Sunday 2 March, but the two major rail unions, the Christian ACV-Transcom/CSC and the socialist ACOD Spoor (part of ABVV/FGTB) have already announced another 18 days of strikes over the next five months.
All railway workers will go on strike on Monday 17 March. The unions are planning four days of strikes per month from April to July, but no exact dates have been confirmed. ACOD Spoor and ACV-Transcom will also participate in the general public service strike on 31 March.
