Nearly 9,000 more cancelled trains than last year

This year, nearly 9,000 more trains were cancelled than last year, write Bruzz and La Dernière Heure. Even though 2016 is not yet over, 31,816 trains so far were cancelled, a significantly higher number than in 2015 when a total of 22,947 trains were cancelled in Belgium. One third of the cancelled trains would have passed through Brussels.

Belgian rail company SNCB cites several reasons for the cancellations, including technical problems, strikes and terror attacks. After the March terror attacks, for example, there was little to no train traffic across the country for more than a week, says SNCB. Furthermore, trade union strikes in May and June resulted in the cancellation of another 11,830 and 7,872 trains, respectively .

About 3,700 trains travel through Belgium on a daily basis, 1.1% of which are delayed or cancelled, on average. Many of the cancelled trains affect passengers in Brussels, as a third of all train traffic in Belgium passes through the capital.