The nine-day rail strike enters its fourth full day on Tuesday (25 February). Disruptions are expected to be similar to Monday, but there will be a small increase in suburban (S) and local (L) train services.
Belgium is in the middle of a nine-day rail strike, which started at 22:00 on Friday 21 February and will run until 22:00 on Sunday 2 March. On Monday, the first full working weekday impacted by the strikes, passengers experienced severe disruption, resulting in overcrowded trains and severe traffic jams on the ring road around the Brussels-Capital Region.
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: during the weekend, the choice was up to individuals; on Monday and Tuesday, train drivers specifically lay down their work.
On Tuesday, the alternative train service is as follows (approximately):
- Two in five IC (inter-city) trains will run. They directly connect major cities and only stop at the biggest stations.
- One in three S (suburban) trains and L (local) trains will run. 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.
- Almost no P (peak) trains will run. They normally only run during the morning and evening rush hours.
National railway operator SNCB calls on passengers to check the daily travel planner on its website or app the day before.
Slightly more trains on Wednesday
SNCB has also published its alternative train service for Wednesday 26 February. On this day, the service is expected to be as follows:
- One in two IC trains will run (more than the two in five on Monday and Tuesday)
- Two in five S- and L-trains will run (up from one in four on Monday and one in three on Tuesday)
- Again, almost no P-trains will run
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, the possible abolition or reduction of bonuses for night and Sunday work and the uncertainty about the reclassification of train crews.
A smaller union submitted a strike notice for all employees of the Belgian railways adjacent to this action, from 2 to 30 March, however, HR Rail, the railway personnel department, confirmed to The Brussels Times that this strike notice is inadmissible according to the provisions in the regulations, casting this plan into doubt.
The two largest rail unions, ACOD-Spoor and ACV-Transcom, are not participating. They announced a series of actions and rotating strikes. These will take place several times a month from March to July.
