Business travellers banking on a swift 1 hr 22 min hop between Brussels-Midi/Zuid and Paris Gare du Nord faced an unpleasant surprise on Sunday. Eurostar’s live service page lit up with a series of warnings citing “technical issues” and “temporary speed restrictions” on the Belgian and French networks, compounded by adverse weather. Trains 9034, 9046 and 9054 departed Brussels more than 80 minutes late, while several evening services were capped at 160 km/h instead of the normal 300 km/h.
The disruption coincided with the same snow band that snarled air traffic. InfraBel engineers reported an axle-counter fault just south of Mons, forcing signallers to reduce headways. SNCF Réseau meanwhile imposed blanket speed limits north of Lille to prevent ice-related damage to catenary systems. Eurostar said the combined constraints cut effective capacity on the core cross-border corridor by a third.
![Eurostar Warns of Lengthy Delays Between Brussels-Midi and Paris Gare du Nord After Track Problems and Weather Hit Benelux Corridor]()
For those whose altered itineraries now require last-minute visa checks—especially non-EU passport holders transiting between France, Belgium or onward to the UK—VisaHQ’s online platform can simplify the paperwork. Its Brussels portal (https://www.visahq.com/belgium/) lets mobility teams verify entry requirements, arrange expedited applications and receive real-time status alerts, keeping disrupted travellers compliant even when schedules go off the rails.
For employers the knock-on effects are twofold. First-quarter project deadlines in the EU capital often rely on day-return meetings from Paris; Sunday’s delays pushed arrival times beyond the 19:00 curfew for many French duty-of-care policies, obliging companies to fund hotel stays. Secondly, the disruption underscores the importance of “duty station” wording in assignment letters: if Paris-based assignees are forced to overnight in Brussels for reasons beyond their control, per-diem rules rather than home-to-work reimbursements generally apply.
Eurostar is offering free exchanges within 60 days for passengers booked on 15 and 16 February. Travellers holding inflexible tickets should process changes online rather than at station counters, where queues exceeded 45 minutes by mid-afternoon. Mobility managers were advised to update traveller-tracking dashboards, as some staff may switch last-minute to Thalys services or short-haul flights—both of which face their own winter-weather limitations.
The disruption coincided with the same snow band that snarled air traffic. InfraBel engineers reported an axle-counter fault just south of Mons, forcing signallers to reduce headways. SNCF Réseau meanwhile imposed blanket speed limits north of Lille to prevent ice-related damage to catenary systems. Eurostar said the combined constraints cut effective capacity on the core cross-border corridor by a third.
For those whose altered itineraries now require last-minute visa checks—especially non-EU passport holders transiting between France, Belgium or onward to the UK—VisaHQ’s online platform can simplify the paperwork. Its Brussels portal (https://www.visahq.com/belgium/) lets mobility teams verify entry requirements, arrange expedited applications and receive real-time status alerts, keeping disrupted travellers compliant even when schedules go off the rails.
For employers the knock-on effects are twofold. First-quarter project deadlines in the EU capital often rely on day-return meetings from Paris; Sunday’s delays pushed arrival times beyond the 19:00 curfew for many French duty-of-care policies, obliging companies to fund hotel stays. Secondly, the disruption underscores the importance of “duty station” wording in assignment letters: if Paris-based assignees are forced to overnight in Brussels for reasons beyond their control, per-diem rules rather than home-to-work reimbursements generally apply.
Eurostar is offering free exchanges within 60 days for passengers booked on 15 and 16 February. Travellers holding inflexible tickets should process changes online rather than at station counters, where queues exceeded 45 minutes by mid-afternoon. Mobility managers were advised to update traveller-tracking dashboards, as some staff may switch last-minute to Thalys services or short-haul flights—both of which face their own winter-weather limitations.
