National strike will lead to severe disruptions on SNCB rail network on Tuesday

Trains will be severely disrupted from Monday 30 May at 22.00 and all day Tuesday 31 May, due to a trade union national day of action, announced SNCB.

An alternative train service has been put in place, operated by non-striking staff to limit the inconvenience to travellers as much as possible, said SNCB. Passengers can find out the schedule of this service from Monday morning via the rail network's online journey planner, via its app or its website.

The alternative train service means that from Monday at 22.00 until Tuesday, 31 May, a quarter of trains will run. Of the IC trains, which are the trains that run between the big cities, one in three trains will be operated. In addition, one in five suburban S trains and L trains will also run.

Most P-trains will not be operating. These are the trains that only run during the morning and evening rush hours.

In the provinces of Liège, Luxembourg and Namur, no trains will be running due to insufficient staff  in infrabel's signal boxes. That also means that the IC trains that cross these provinces will be limited. The IC train Ostend-Eupen, for example, only runs between Ostend and Leuven. At a number of other stations in the country, there will be few or no trains stopping.

SNCB therefore advises all passengers involved to work from home if possible or to look for an alternative means of transport.

Elsewhere in the country, the signal boxes will function normally and will ensure safe traffic, SNCB stated, allowing for the alternative train service to operate.

From Wednesday morning, 1 June, train traffic will return to normal.

SNCB advises its passengers to prepare their train journey in advance. This can be done via the journey planner on the SNCB website or app, which shows the alternative train service from Monday morning. During the strike, the screens in the stations will only show the trains that do run.

The alternative train service is also communicated via the various information channels of SNCB, such as the social media channels (Twitter and Facebook), the SNCB website and the screens and announcements in the stations. SNCN says that every effort is made to provide passengers with the best possible detailed and real-time information.

The national day of action is being carried out by trade unions representing the public services. The unions are calling in particular for more purchasing power, investments and a strengthening of pensions for its workers.