Eurostar issued a network-wide alert late on 13 January after technical faults and an "unauthorised person on the line" at Brussels-Midi station triggered cascading delays across Belgium’s rail grid. Trains between Brussels, Paris, London, Amsterdam and Cologne were hit, with some Paris-bound services running over 90 minutes late. Passengers reported long lines at the juxtaposed UK Border Force and Schengen controls inside the station, highlighting how a single choke-point can affect multiple jurisdictions. (visahq.com)
The company is offering free rebooking within 60 days, but refund eligibility depends on delay length—an important detail for travel-expense teams processing claims. Mobility managers bringing talent into Paris are advised to build longer connection buffers or consider routing via Lille or direct flights to Charles-de-Gaulle.
![Brussels Bottleneck Causes Rolling Eurostar Delays on Paris Services]()
If you or your colleagues need to refresh a Schengen visa before boarding, VisaHQ can cut the red tape: its France portal bundles the latest entry requirements, digital application forms and courier options in one place, letting travelers secure documentation without last-minute panic. Check out the service here: https://www.visahq.com/france/.
The incident also exposes the vulnerability of high-frequency cross-border commuting under the new EES regime: should biometric kiosks go offline, border queues could balloon. Belgian infrastructure manager Infrabel expects full normalisation within 24 hours as rolling stock is repositioned. (visahq.com)
With France hosting several major trade shows in February, companies should prepare contingency plans such as Thalys services or Air France shuttle flights and keep staff updated via Eurostar alerts.
The company is offering free rebooking within 60 days, but refund eligibility depends on delay length—an important detail for travel-expense teams processing claims. Mobility managers bringing talent into Paris are advised to build longer connection buffers or consider routing via Lille or direct flights to Charles-de-Gaulle.
If you or your colleagues need to refresh a Schengen visa before boarding, VisaHQ can cut the red tape: its France portal bundles the latest entry requirements, digital application forms and courier options in one place, letting travelers secure documentation without last-minute panic. Check out the service here: https://www.visahq.com/france/.
The incident also exposes the vulnerability of high-frequency cross-border commuting under the new EES regime: should biometric kiosks go offline, border queues could balloon. Belgian infrastructure manager Infrabel expects full normalisation within 24 hours as rolling stock is repositioned. (visahq.com)
With France hosting several major trade shows in February, companies should prepare contingency plans such as Thalys services or Air France shuttle flights and keep staff updated via Eurostar alerts.
