No trains in Wallonia due to rail unions strike

The train network in Wallonia is at a standstill today due to the unannounced strike action of the French rail unions CSC Transcom and CGSP Cheminots. In Flanders, on average about 80% of the trains are still riding. However, some trains are so crowded that passengers are forced to sit in the restrooms, writes De Standaard.

"The situation is twofold on the Belgian rail network," SNCB spokesperson Thierry Ney told the newspaper. "Rail traffic has completely shut down in Wallonia, and in Flanders it's either normal or disrupted by the action in Wallonia."

The unions have long been furious about the government's plans for reform, but the management's decision this week to cut into holiday time was the last straw. "Some people lost up to seven or eight holidays,” said CGSP Cheminots chairman Michel Abdissi in De Morgen.