Belgian rail infrastructure manager Infrabel will halt all train services on the Herentals–Turnhout and Herentals–Mol lines over the weekends of 26–27 September and 3–4 October, according to a 23 September notice carried by portal Aktualnosci.be. The closures allow crews to replace the aged Molennete rail bridge, renew points near Tielen and rebuild level-crossings ahead of the autumn timetable change. National operator SNCB/NMBS will lay on replacement buses, but warns that journey times could double and bicycle capacity will be limited. InterCity trains on the Antwerp-Lier-Hamont axis will run only between Mol and Hamont, while selected P-trains on Sunday evenings will operate to amended timetables. Two extra Mol-Leuven direct trains have been added to absorb student traffic returning to campus. The works coincide with Belgium’s peak corporate mobility season, as universities reopen and EU institutions return from recess. Employers with commuters living in Kempen or employees transiting from Brussels Airport to Eindhoven should advise staff to check the route planner daily and allow generous connection buffers. Relocation firms scheduling home-search trips in Turnhout may also need to switch to hired cars. For travel managers, the key mitigation steps are to activate rail-alert subscriptions in booking tools, pre-book the limited bus seats for assignees, and brief travellers on e-ticket refunds should they opt to drive. Companies that reimburse mileage need to budget for higher costs given likely weekend traffic around Antwerp’s Ring. Infrabel says the shutdown is part of a €350 million upgrade package for the province aimed at raising line speeds to 160 km/h and preparing the corridor for ETCS Level 2 signalling by 2027.
Source: Aktualnosci.be
