06/10/2008 00:49:00
Strike action by rail workers in Belgium has forced Eurostar to cancel all services between the UK and both Lille and Brussels for 24 hours.
The general strike brought the entire Belgian rail network to a halt - including the closure of Brussels Midi station - on Sunday night. Departures from London to Brussels terminated at Lille at 7:30 pm last night. They are, however, expected to operate once again from London to Brussels, via Lille, at 7:30 pm this evening. Rail services operating between Belgium and France, the Netherlands and Germany are also cancelled until this evening.
Cancellations are expected to affect about 5,000 travellers with advance Eurostar bookings, and a significant number more with travel plans but no prior bookings. Passengers affected by the strike - and subsequent travel cancellations - are now being offered ticket refunds or the chance to exchange their train tickets for alternative dates.
News of the strike is a further blow to Eurostar, after the rail company had to reduce services following a fire in the Channel Tunnel last month. Despite first re-opening with a reduced train service, then gradually increasing timetables over the last few weeks, Eurostar has revealed it will be unable to operate a full train schedule until 2009 due to the fire incident. In addition to decreased timetables, the high-speed train operator has been warning passengers of probable travel delays on many routes, as well as advising travellers to check in early for all trips.
