The nationwide strike spilled onto the rails, with SNCB-NMBS International publishing an ‘alternative train service’ for Sunday night 11 October through Monday 12 October. Only 12 of 16 EuroCity trains on the core Brussels–Rotterdam route operated, while cross-border Eurocity Direct services to Amsterdam were reduced to eight southbound and nine northbound runs, many terminating early at Rotterdam or Antwerp. Cancelled trains included popular morning business services EC 9227 (09:44 Brussels–Rotterdam) and EC 9523 (06:49 Brussels–Amsterdam), forcing commuters onto overcrowded later departures or onto Thalys and Eurostar alternatives. Nightjet’s Brussels–Vienna sleeper diverted to start/finish in Cologne, with Deutsche Bahn honouring tickets on ICE services between Cologne and Brussels. To ease the pain, SNCB lifted the usual train-specific restrictions on Saver tickets: travellers could board any service one day before or after the printed date, and full refunds were offered for unused EuroCity or Eurocity Direct tickets. Employers with commuter allowances welcomed the flexibility, although some cautioned that reimbursement workflows may lag because of the simultaneous strike in federal tax offices. Freight operations were less affected, but forwarders reported missed connections for time-critical pharma shipments heading to the Port of Rotterdam. Supply-chain managers were advised to route containers via Antwerp or postpone just-in-time deliveries until mid-week. Looking ahead, SNCB warns of more engineering-related itinerary changes on 17-18 October and 7-8 November, with diversions via Roosendaal. Mobility planners should therefore review autumn travel policies and alert employees to possible cascading delays.
