Brussels (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – The NMBS train strike (21 Feb–2 Mar 2025) led to unexpected cancellations, frustrating passengers. TreinTramBus’ Peter Meukens criticized inaccurate schedules. Luc from Sinaai-Waas faced issues despite NMBS app updates.
The passenger group Trein Tram Bus has found many problems with the train schedule from NMBS. They say the real situation is much worse than what was first reported. Many trains that were supposed to run have been cancelled without warning. They mentioned that this has frustrated many commuters and travellers.
The strike is expected to cause issues until Sunday, 2 March 2025. The official mentioned that passengers have a few good options right now. They should check the SNCB/NMBS website often for updates, as the situation is still unclear.
How Is Belgium’s Rail Strike Causing Confusion for Passengers?
Peter Meukens from TreinTramBus is unhappy about how the strike is affecting passengers. He said the situation was already hard, and the confusing train schedules made it worse. He expressed surprise that the strike was so bad for passengers and said they were not satisfied.
He mentioned that while there is an alternative timetable, it needs to be accurate for people to trust it. Many passengers were frustrated because they expected their trains to run, but instead, they found out their trains were cancelled.
Travellers are having issues with train schedules. Many people are facing last-minute changes even after checking the official sources. Luc from Sinaai-Waas talked about his experience. He left for the station an hour early to catch a train to work, even with the strike happening. He used the NMBS app, which said his train would run on time. But when he got to the station, an employee told him the app might have the wrong information.
Luc said,
The app assured me that the train would run, but an employee at the counter told me that the person responsible for the app probably had incorrect information.
A strike started on Friday, 21 February 2025, across Belgium‘s railway network. 2 independent unions, mainly for train drivers, are leading the strike. They are upset about new pension changes from the federal government. They believe these changes will affect workers’ retirement.
The National Railway Company of Belgium (SNCB/NMBS) expected some train services to continue and planned for about 60% of trains to run. However, more train cancellations were reported soon after. They mentioned that the strike is affecting both local and international routes, confusing many passengers.
