16 April 2007
BRUSSELS – The strike by train conductors based at several train depots is hitting Wallonia and Brussels considerably harder than Flanders. About half of the scheduled trains were running in the southern part of the country by midday.
More trains are running in Flanders, says Guido Ardeel, spokesperson for rail infrastructure manager Infrabel, depending on the region.
Some 75 percent of scheduled trains are operating on the main lines out of Ostend and Antwerp towards Brussels. He expects that service is operating almost normally on other lines, except in the vicinity of Bruges and Hasselt, where only three quarters of trains are running. “Travellers should expect delays of 20 to 30 minutes,” Ardeel says.
He points out that although the wildcat strike started from the Brussel-Zuid depot, other regions have indicated they will be joining and continuing the strike throughout the afternoon and into the evening rush hour.
Ardeel advises travellers to check at the train station and follow the news for updates on the situation.
[Copyright Expatica News 2007]
Subject: Belgian news