Cross-Channel travellers faced fresh headaches on 27 November after Eurostar cancelled a dozen trains to and from Brussels-Midi. The high-speed operator blamed ongoing congestion and crew re-rostering complications following Belgium’s three-day general strike, which had already curtailed domestic rail services and left rolling stock out of position.
Affected departures included peak-business trains ES 9133 and ES 9159 to London St Pancras as well as evening returns from Paris and Amsterdam, forcing around 7,000 passengers to rebook or seek alternatives. Eurostar offered free exchanges within 60 days and hotel vouchers for travellers stranded overnight.
![Eurostar Cuts 12 Brussels Services Amid Post-Strike Rail Congestion]()
The cancellations highlight the knock-on effect industrial action can have on multimodal itineraries. Many firms had shifted executives from air to rail to avoid airport chaos, only to be caught by fresh timetable cuts. Travel-management companies recommend holding flexible tickets, building longer lay-overs, and monitoring Thalys/TGV and Deutsche Bahn feeds for spare capacity.
Eurostar says it expects to restore a near-normal timetable by 29 November but warns that engineering works north of Lille could require further adjustments in early December.
Affected departures included peak-business trains ES 9133 and ES 9159 to London St Pancras as well as evening returns from Paris and Amsterdam, forcing around 7,000 passengers to rebook or seek alternatives. Eurostar offered free exchanges within 60 days and hotel vouchers for travellers stranded overnight.
The cancellations highlight the knock-on effect industrial action can have on multimodal itineraries. Many firms had shifted executives from air to rail to avoid airport chaos, only to be caught by fresh timetable cuts. Travel-management companies recommend holding flexible tickets, building longer lay-overs, and monitoring Thalys/TGV and Deutsche Bahn feeds for spare capacity.
Eurostar says it expects to restore a near-normal timetable by 29 November but warns that engineering works north of Lille could require further adjustments in early December.
