The nine-day rail strike in Belgium is entering its fifth full day on Wednesday (26 February). Passengers will be relieved to hear that from this day, more trains are expected to ride.
Belgium's ongoing nine-day rail strike started at 22:00 on Friday 21 February and will run until 22:00 on Sunday 2 March. The working week started with passengers experiencing severe travel disruptions, notably overcrowded trains and traffic jams.
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: on Wednesday and Thursday, mainly train attendants are striking, while on Monday and Tuesday, the target group was train drivers. For this reason, more trains will be operating in the coming days.
On Wednesday, the alternative train service is (approximately) as follows:
- One in two IC (Inter-City) trains will run. They directly connect major cities and only stop at the biggest stations. This is more than the two in five on Monday and Tuesday.
- Two in five S (suburban) trains and L (local) trains will run (around 40%). 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. This is more than the one in three running on Tuesday.
- Again, almost no P (peak) trains will run. They normally only run during the morning and evening rush hours. This was also the case on Monday and Tuesday.
Plan for Thursday
The alternative train service for Thursday has also been confirmed by national railway operator SNCB. The same number of trains will be running as on Wednesday: half of the IC trains, approximately 40% of the L and S trains and no P-trains are running.
SNCB still calls on passengers to check the daily travel planner on its website or app the day before.
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 and the possible abolition or reduction of bonuses for night and Sunday work.
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Federal Mobility Minister Jean-Luc Crucke (Les Engagés) met with the two major rail unions, the Christian ACV-Transcom/ CSC and the socialist ACOD Spoor (part of ABVV/FGTB). He said that the process, bringing together the unions and the rail authorities, is expected to last several months, with meetings expected to be held every two weeks, Belga News Agency reported.
Working groups will be held in which "each measure will be analysed in detail and negotiated each time". The goal is to sit down with all parties "to find the best way to implement the reforms together". This could lead to a freeze on the actions which will otherwise take place several times a month from March to July.
