The suspicious package found on a train at Brussels-South on Monday afternoon turned out to be harmless, federal police confirmed on Monday afternoon.
All train traffic to and from Brussels-Midi station was suspended from 14:20 on Monday and all platforms in the station were evacuated after a "suspicious bag" was found on a train.
"The train had to remain stationary at Brussels-South so that the suspicious bag could be examined. The train was completely evacuated and a perimeter was established," said a federal police spokesperson.
Rail traffic is now gradually resuming at the station, rail operator SNCB-NMBS confirmed. However, traffic is still not possible on tracks 19 and 20 for the time being. “The disruption and delays will continue to be felt for some time," said SNCB.
Second evacuation in two months
About six weeks ago, on March 23, train traffic around Brussels-South was also suspended, and the station was evacuated after three suspicious packages were found.
One of those packages, a yellow-green plastic bag, was lying on the luggage rack of carriage 62107 of the train between Charleroi and Antwerp.
When the bag was discovered, the train was brought to a halt at Brussels-Midi station and the police evacuated the station. It was only after about three hours that the station could be reopened. In total, trains were delayed by three hundred hours, and SNCB cancelled 300 trains.
