Brussels commuters and visiting business travellers woke up on Friday, 9 October to discover that the entire STIB-MIVB network was running only a skeleton service as drivers, dispatchers and station staff joined a nationwide day of protest called by the main public-sector unions. The operator warned on its website that disruption would last the whole day and could spill over into Monday, 12 October, when a second day of industrial action is planned. For international companies that rely on Brussels as a hub city, the timing could hardly be worse: the European Summit is scheduled for next week and thousands of expats will be returning after the autumn break. STIB advised travellers to check its online journey planner from 06:00 each morning, but even confirmed lines were running at reduced frequencies. That meant longer waits, crowded platforms and missed connections to the airport and Brussels-Midi rail station, the gateway for Eurostar and Thalys services. Corporate mobility managers scrambled to activate contingency plans. Many multinationals arranged shuttle buses between their suburban campuses and mainline rail stations; others encouraged employees to work from home. Hotels in the European Quarter reported a spike in last-minute car-service bookings as delegates abandoned public transport. The shutdown also hit last-mile logistics: courier firms said parcel delivery times inside the capital had doubled. STIB has promised to issue travel certificates that employees can present to HR departments as proof that the strike prevented them from reaching the office. However, business associations urged the federal government to accelerate talks with unions, warning that repeated walkouts are eroding Brussels’ reputation as a reliable business destination. If Monday’s follow-up strike goes ahead, it will coincide with the return of thousands of university students—raising the prospect of even more severe congestion.
Source: STIB-MIVB
