A stray dog on the tracks in Etterbeek caused delays for about fifty trains on Monday evening. Around ten trains were cancelled, according to rail infrastructure manager Infrabel.
Infrabel spokesperson Thomas Baeken reported that train traffic was first halted under police orders around 17:50 after the dog was spotted on the track. An hour later, train services resumed despite the dog not being found, leading to significant delays and cancellations.
At 19:30, police again instructed Infrabel to halt services when the dog was seen further along the track in Watermaal. The dog’s owner arrived on the scene, and services resumed after about ten minutes. Baeken commented, “We assume the situation is now resolved.”
Baeken mentioned that there is no precise information on how the dog got onto the tracks, but the impact was substantial. By 20:00, around 50 trains had faced delays, with 10 being cancelled. Further knock-on delays were expected.
Baeken highlighted that the incident occurred on the significant rail line 161, part of the Regional Express Network connecting Brussels and Namur, and happened during the evening rush hour on a workday.
