Rail traffic on the Brussels to Namur and Luxembourg lines will face disruptions on Friday, with replacement services put in place as railway companies face another cable theft in under a month.
At around 6:07 AM, national railway company SNCB/NMBS announced that no trains were running on the Brussels to Namur line between the Walloon capital and the city of Gembloux.
A replacement bus service has been put in place, the company announced on Twitter.
The theft took place in the village of Rhisnes, just north of Namur, at around 2:30 AM, according to Le Soir.
Suite à un vol de câbles, la circulation est interrompue entre Gembloux et Namur.
Vous pouvez utiliser un bus de remplacement. #SNCB pic.twitter.com/7LtSGz91iQ— SNCB (@SNCB) August 30, 2019
Trains on the Brussels to Luxembourg line are deviated via Jemeppe-sur-Sambre, extending the commuting time by an estimated 20 minutes.
“There is technical staff at the scene, we expect traffic to return to normal in the course of the day,” a spokesperson with railway infrastructure manager Infrabel said, according to the outlet.
Friday’s theft comes as the railway companies face a hike in the number of similar incidents, with another theft less than a month ago, also on a Friday, bringing traffic on the same rail line to a standstill for hours.
Gabriela Galindo
The Brussels Times
