Public transport in Brussels will be severely disrupted on Friday 8 March as members of several trade unions will participate in the national day of action for International Women's Day.
Brussels public transport operator STIB is expecting "major disruptions" to its network due to the participation of some of its staff in the day of action. Additionally, the actions take place in the city centre and could also have an impact on bus and tram traffic on certain lines.
"While it is not possible to precisely predict the extent of the strike and its impact on bus, tram and metro traffic, STIB expects its network to be severely disrupted," the company said in a press release.
Passengers will be kept informed of the situation in real-time through STIB's various means of communication, such as via waiting screens in stations, the website and app, and social media channels starting from 06:00. "To the extent possible, we ask travellers to plan an alternative public transport solution when travelling in Brussels on 8 March."
Credit: Belga / Nicolas Maeterlinck
The Brussels police also warned that the march passing through the city will cause disruptions on Friday. "The procession will depart from Central Station to Place Poelaert and then back to Central Station," the Brussels-Capital/Ixelles police zone announced on social media.
People are advised to avoid the Carrefour de l'Europe, Boulevard de l'Empereur, Place Poelaert, Place Royale and the Ravenstein and Cantersteen areas. "Traffic disruptions are expected from 17:00."
In the rest of the country, the national day of action is not expected to lead to public transport disruptions. Belgian rail company SNCB does not foresee issues with its service on Friday.
"It is possible that more people will be on the trains to Brussels than usual, but based on the information we have now we do not expect any disruption on the network," Bart Crols, spokesperson for SNCB, told The Brussels Times.
Flemish and Walloon public transport companies De Lijn and TEC are not expecting significant disruptions either. "It is possible that some employees will be participating in an individual capacity and so a slight adjustment to our service would be needed, but there will not be any structural disruptions."
