International business travellers between Belgium and the Netherlands face a final day of detours after SNCB-International confirmed that planned engineering works on the Belgian network are blocking through EuroCity and Eurocity Direct services north of Breda. From 21 to 24 July the trains have operated only between Brussels-Midi and Breda, forcing passengers bound for Rotterdam, Schiphol Airport or Amsterdam to change to domestic NS services. The disruption will end with the last north-bound departure this evening. The maintenance – replacement of signalling equipment near the Dutch border – has added 30-45 minutes to typical journey times and created capacity pinch-points on Dutch Intercity services. SNCB and NS have lifted peak-time reservation requirements and honoured EuroCity tickets on alternative trains, but seat availability has been tight. Eurostar and Thalys high-speed services are unaffected as they run on a different alignment. Corporate mobility managers with offices in Brussels, Rotterdam and Amsterdam have responded by switching travellers onto early-morning ICE services via Cologne or by encouraging videoconferencing. Logistics companies report minor delays to courier consignments traditionally carried by on-board couriers (OBCs) who use the daytime Brussels–Amsterdam shuttle. Further works lie ahead: ICE and Nightjet services will be diverted between Leuven and Liège from 21 July to 5 August, while OUIGO trains will skip Mons on 25-26 July. Employers are advised to monitor the SNCB-International disruption page and to book flexible tickets where possible. By Saturday, the regular hourly EuroCity timetable should resume, restoring the 1 h 53 min end-to-end journey that many multinationals regard as the “rail corridor” linking their Belgian and Dutch headquarters.
