Eurostar services to Brussels will be not operate on Monday, due to planned industrial action in Belgium.
The 24-hour strike is due to commence at 220o (CET) on Sunday October 17, running until 2200 on Monday October 18.
As a result Eurostar has cancelled all services to Brussels on Monday, and the 1934 departure from London on Sunday has been retimed to leave at 1727 in order to arrive prior to the closure of the Belgian rail network.
In a statement Eurostar said:
“As a result of planned industrial action in Belgium, regrettably, Eurostar will be unable to operate any services between the UK and Brussels on Monday 18 October 2010. A 24-hour strike in Belgium will commence at 2200 (CET) on Sunday 17 October and will end at 2200 (CET) on Monday 18 October.
“It is expected that the industrial action will cause significant disruption throughout Belgium and it is anticipated that Brussels Midi station and the rest of the Belgian rail network will be forced to close. As a consequence, no Eurostar trains will operate to Brussels during this period. Additionally, it is unlikely there will be any high-speed onward rail connections on Thalys or ICE, from Brussels to destinations in France, the Netherlands and Germany.
“Eurostar therefore advises all passengers travelling between the UK and Brussels and to onward destinations in Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands to review their travel plans and postpone their journeys where possible.
“A revised Eurostar timetable will be in operation on Eurostar’s London - Brussels route, with trains running between Lille Europe station and the UK only. A very limited coach service will operate between Lille and Brussels and demand is expected to be high. As a result, journey times will increase significantly (by approximately 2 hours).
“We would therefore recommend that customers planning to travel between Belgium and the UK during this period postpone their journeys if possible.
“Customers can exchange their Eurostar tickets free of charge within 60 days for a journey in the next 120 days. For more information, visit eurostar.com or contact 08432 186 186.”
