Domestic trains running on time in Belgium reached a two-year low of 89.6% in October, according to data shared on Monday by railway manager Infrabel.
This is the first time since November 2019 that punctuality fell below 90%, Belga News Agency reported, adding that October is typically one of the more difficult months for train traffic.
The domestic passenger trains’ on time rate of 89.6% means that just under nine out of ten trains were on schedule, or arrived at their destinations with a maximum delay of six minutes.
The last time the rate was lower was in November 2019, when it was 86.4%. Since then, it has always been 90% or higher, with peaks of 97.2% when the country was in complete lockdown in April of 2020.
In October, a total of 3,079 trains were partially or fully cancelled, which translated to a cancellation rate of 2.7%. In 2020, that rate was 1.7%.
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So far, the only months of 2021 with higher cancellation rates are February, June and July.
October is traditionally one of the more difficult months for train punctuality because there are often slippery tracks as a result of fallen leaves.
This year, there were also many delays caused by personal accidents or as a result of people being on or near the tracks. Delays from foreign rail networks also affected the punctuality of domestic trains.
