Up to ten peak time trains to and from Brussels will be temporarily cancelled starting from Monday, Belgian railway company SNCB announced this weekend.
The company is struggling with staff shortages as more and more staff members are falling ill or have to go into quarantine as a result of a coronavirus infection. As a result, several services will be temporarily scrapped, starting from Monday.
"Due to the evolution of the pandemic and the increasing number of infections, SNCB is increasingly confronted with employees who are absent due to illness or who have to undergo quarantine at home. This is especially the case for personnel who work in the field," the company said in a statement.
It added that it has already taken several measures to limit the effect this will have on travellers and commuters, but said several services could still be cancelled unexpectedly every day.
In order to avoid this unexpected interruption as much as possible, the company has decided to temporarily cut down on the train services it offers in advance, until the situation allows for all trains to be rerun.
The company announced the cancellation of various peak hour trains on its website, citing the "changing coronavirus situation."
On Twitter, SNCB's CEO Sophie Dutordoir commented on criticism from social media users following this announcement, asking people to "show some understanding for sick people and obligatory quarantines. Instead of abolishing trains in real time, we would rather do it as organised as possible."
