Belgian Rail Strike Set to Hit International Routes May 20

May 16, 2008
A 24-hour strike is called by unions over a pay dispute.

A 24-hour Belgian railworkers strike on May 20 could shut down high-speed train services to France, Germany and the Netherlands and hit Eurostar services to London, rail companies warned.

Unions representing employees of Belgium's national rail operator SNCB have called the industrial action from 10:00 pm May 19 (2000 GMT) to 10:00 pm May 20 over a pay dispute.

"The SNCB wishes to warn its customers that on that day services will certainly be greatly affected and that trains might not run at all," the Belgian rail network operator said.

Thalys high-speed services between Belgium and its European neighbors are expected to be suspended on the day, a spokesman for Thalys International said. Eurostar for its part warned that if the strike is confirmed there would be no services between Lille, in northern France, and the Belgian capital Brussels.

From May 19 in the evening, if that is the case, trains on that line would leave London and go no further than Lille. Trains travelling between London and Paris will not be affected. On the evening of May 20, the London-Brussels service will resume "as long as the Belgian high-speed train line resumes activities," said Eurostar.

Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2008

Popular Sponsored Recommendations

Empowering the Modern Workforce: The Power of Connected Worker Technologies

March 1, 2024
Explore real-world strategies to boost worker safety, collaboration, training, and productivity in manufacturing. Emphasizing Industry 4.0, we'll discuss digitalization and automation...

Adopting an Open Ecosystem: The Way Forward for Frontline Operations

March 11, 2024
Today's manufacturing tech stack thrives on connectivity, integrating new and legacy players for a seamless operation - not on monolithic systems. Embrace the future of frontline...

3 Best Practices to Create a Product-Centric Competitive Advantage with PRO.FILE PLM

Jan. 25, 2024
Gain insight on best practices and strategies you need to accelerate engineering change management and reduce time to market. Register now for your opportunity to accelerate your...

Transformative Capabilities for XaaS Models in Manufacturing

Feb. 14, 2024
The manufacturing sector is undergoing a pivotal shift toward "servitization," or enhancing product offerings with services and embracing a subscription model. This transition...

Voice your opinion!

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of IndustryWeek, create an account today!