BRUSSELS: A 24-hour strike by one of Belgium’s main rail unions brought services in the country to a virtual halt on Monday, including high-speed Eurostar and Thalys trains to and from neighbouring countries. The socialist ACOD union called the strike from 10 pm on Sunday in protest over the terms of new contracts for employees at rail operator SNCB/NMBS’s freight unit. Workers from the other main unions were not on strike. All stations in Brussels were closed and there were no trains in the southern region of Wallonia, said Frederic Petit, spokesman for train line operator Infrabel. “There is a very limited regional service in parts of Flanders,” he said. Some 400,000 to 500,000 people travel on the Belgian rail network on a typical weekday, and the strike caused major congestion on the highways. Traffic information body Be-Mobile said there were 350 km (218 miles) of jams on Belgian highways on Monday morning, compared with a normal 200-250 km.
source: Daily Times
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