Belgium’s national rail operator SNCB has issued an extraordinary passenger advisory for this weekend, forecasting “a large number of travellers on trains to the Coast the weekend of 11th and 12th July and the days that follow.” The notice, posted on the operator’s travel-information portal early Saturday, urges passengers to avoid peak arrival windows at seaside stations between 11:00 and 14:00 and peak return slots from 17:00 to 20:00. The alert follows a spell of high-thirties temperatures across Flanders that has already packed North Sea resorts from Knokke-Heist to De Panne. Last July, overcrowding forced railway police to close Oostende station briefly; this year SNCB says it will meter platform access to ensure safe boarding and may run supplemental “Coastal Express” services if rolling-stock and crew availability allow. For global-mobility managers, the advisory matters because many expatriate employees—particularly those on short-term Schengen assignments—use the same InterCity lines to reach Brussels Airport or to commute between Ghent tech parks and Brussels headquarters. Overcrowding increases the risk of missed flights and meetings, and squeezes luggage space on trains not configured for heavy suitcases. SNCB recommends that travellers consult the real-time occupancy indicator in its mobile app; the feature grades each carriage red, orange or green based on seat-sensor data, enabling passengers to position themselves for less crowded cars. Companies should circulate the advisory through internal travel hubs and consider flexible-hours policies on Monday to accommodate delayed returns. The rail operator also reminds passengers that on-board ticket sales were discontinued on 1 July 2026; boarding without a valid digital or paper ticket now incurs a €9 surcharge—an important detail for visiting project teams unfamiliar with the change.
