Strike slashes Belgian domestic and international train services

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Only one in three trains were running in Belgium on Friday, rail operator SNCB/NMBS said, as public sector workers went on strike nationwide to protest over a lack of staff, reduced budgets and increased workloads.

The strike also affects regional public transport, and local media reported it could impact the opening hours of some public services such as town halls and recycling parks.

International train connections were also be hit, with SNCB/NMBS announcing that 12 trains between Amsterdam and Brussels were cancelled and a spokesperson for Thalys saying only two out of three of their trains would be running.

Separately, Eurostar said operators there “don’t anticipate any impact on (their) timetable from Belgian strike action.

The strike on Friday is part of what the unions have coined “awareness and action week” over a perceived understaffing and underfunding of public services.

(Reporting by Charlotte Van Campenhout; Editing by Hugh Lawson)