October 11, 2026 — Belgium’s rail and public-services strike goes ahead as planned, starting at 10:00 pm on Sunday, October 11, and running through the last train on Monday, October 12. Service levels on the national railway are unchanged from Saturday’s forecast. Eurostar has now named cancelled trains, and Wallonia’s bus operator confirms disruption without saying how much.
This updates our October 10 story. Little has changed; this is the final picture before the strike starts.
Monday, October 12, at a glance
| Service | What will run |
|---|---|
| SNCB intercity (IC) trains | 7 in 10 (unchanged) |
| SNCB local (L) and suburban (S) trains | 1 in 2 (unchanged) |
| SNCB peak-hour (P) trains | 1 in 5 (unchanged) |
| De Lijn buses and trams (Flanders) | About 61% on average (unchanged) |
| TEC buses (Wallonia) | Disruption confirmed; share of lines affected not known, local broadcaster Notélé reported Sunday |
| STIB metro, trams and buses (Brussels) | Service level still TBA |
| Eurostar | Some Brussels trains cancelled, including trains 9141 and 9148; affected passengers have been contacted |
| Brussels–Netherlands trains | 16 Eurocity Direct and 8 EuroCity trains cancelled; most remaining Eurocity Direct trains start and end at Rotterdam |
| Brussels Airport flights | No impact on air traffic expected, the airport says; ground access will be disrupted |
| Charleroi Airport flights | Flights maintained; pickets may slow road access |
New details
- Tickets on SNCB. An ordinary ticket stays valid if the strike forces a longer or rerouted journey. Normal exchange and refund rules apply, and a disruption certificate can be downloaded for seven days afterward.
- Assistance. Travelers with reduced mobility must book assistance 24 hours ahead.
- Netherlands tickets. EuroCity and Eurocity Direct tickets for October 12 are valid on the same type of train on October 11, 12 and 13, and cancelled trains can be cancelled free of charge, NS International says.
- Brussels. A union rally is planned from 11:00 am Monday at Saint-Pierre Hospital, broadcaster BX1 reported.
- More strikes? SNCB lists no new strike dates. We could not verify online claims of further strike days in November.
What it means for airline travelers
- Sunday night arrivals at Brussels Airport: trains thin out after 10:00 pm. Check the SNCB planner before you land, or budget for a taxi.
- Monday flights: flights are expected to run, so standby loads should be normal. The risk is reaching the airport. Check the planner on the day, leave early, and have a taxi fallback.
- Rail to Paris, London or Amsterdam on Monday: move to Sunday or Tuesday if you can. Do not plan a same-day train to a flight at Schiphol or Paris.
- Charleroi: allow extra time for pickets on the access roads.
Sources
- SNCB, strike information page
- Notélé, “Grève des services publics du 12 octobre : quelles perturbations prévues en Wallonie picarde ?”
- RTBF, “Grève des services publics ce lundi 12 octobre : quelles perturbations dans les transports et les services publics”
- VRT NWS, “Waar kan je maandag hinder ondervinden door de staking?”
- BX1, “Grèves des 9 et 12 octobre: les perturbations à prévoir à Bruxelles”
- Eurostar, Travel updates
- NS International, strike in Belgium service overview
- Brussels Airport, Airport operations
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