24-hour strike to paralyze Belgium train traffic; services from London and Paris affected

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The lights show red at an empty platform of the Brussels Midi train station, Jan. 30, 2012. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP, Yves Logghe

BRUSSELS – Officials say that a 24-hour strike by Belgian rail workers will disrupt the train traffic to Brussels from London and Paris as of late Tuesday.

Both Thalys and Eurostar announced they would cancel services to the Belgian capital. Eurostar said its traffic from London would have a reduced schedule up to Lille, France.

Rail workers are fearful their employment conditions will be undermined under a new plan to revamp and streamline the three companies currently overseeing train traffic in Belgium.

Unions want to go back to a single company controlling the rail grid and train traffic, saying the numerous and lengthy delays of the past could be blamed on managerial disorganization. The three companies are controlled by the national authorities. The government wants to turn the three companies into two.

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