Interior rail traffic ran on-time 90.9% of the time – the second-best result since 2015, Belga News Agency reported. However, the number of trains being cancelled also increased over the month.
In September, nine in ten national passenger trains arrived at the time due or had a total delay time of six minutes by the time they reached their terminal destination. Only in September 2020, right in the middle of the pandemic, were trains more punctual with 92.6% on-time.
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However, more trains have also been cancelled than in September 2020 (2.4% in 2021 vs. 1.9% in 2020). In total, 2007 trains were partly cancelled last month – this is when part of the planned journey was not completed. 666 trains were cancelled entirely and did not depart.
This rise in cancellations is driven by two factors. Firstly, the rail network has not entirely recovered from July's floods in Wallonia which means that many lines are still being repaired. Secondly, incidences of human intrusions on the tracks has increased which has a considerable impact on train efficiency and cancellations.
The Brussels Times
