A replacement Belgian train was sent on Friday to bring back about 150 passengers after their train was stranded for hours just across the French border, Belgian rail operator NMBS/SNCB said.
The train was travelling from Tournai to Lille when it stopped at about 10:30 because of a technical problem with the locomotive.
As the train was on French territory, it was initially up to the French railways to deal with the breakdown. In the end, however, a Belgian train was dispatched at the request of the French authorities to evacuate the passengers, NMBS/SNCB spokesperson Dimitri Temmerman said.
The replacement train arrived at the scene at about 14:15 and left for Mouscron at around 14:50, he said.
Temmerman added that passengers are entitled to a refund for their tickets.
The incident will prompt talks between NMBS/SNCB and the French railways. “We also believe this took far too long,” the spokesperson said.
