Eurostar and ferries hit by Belgian strike
Services on the Eurostar and ferries are being disrupted by a series of national strikes in Belgium.
Due to a strike in Belgium today, the Eurostar has said connecting journeys to or from Brussels Midi could be affected.
P&O Ferries has had to cancel its Zeebrugge-Hull sailing today because of the industrial action. It said the normal schedule would resume from tomorrow.
Strikes set for December 8 and 15, will see Eurostar services on the Brussels route only operating to and from Lille.
The rail operator said that due to the scale of the strike it expected no trains or other public transport to run in Belgium on those days.
Eurostar said it would be working to a reduced timetable to and from Lille on those dates, cancelling three outbound trains from London St Pancras and four inbound trains from Lille Europe.
It also said bookings would not be accepted unless they are to or from Lille Europe and asked passengers due to travel to Belgium to arrange any changes or cancellations by Wednesday, December 3.
Timings for passengers travelling back from Lille to the UK on both days have also changed.
Eurostar has also advised that the strike in Belgium will also affect the last two trains from St Pancras on Sunday, December 7 and 14.
Customers are advised to visit the Eurostar website for new departure and arrival times.
Other European rail services will also be affected.
The strikes are in response to austerity measures that the government says are needed to balance Belgium’s budget by 2018 and tackle national debt.
It is looking to raise the state pension age from 65 to 67, scrap a planned inflation-linked wage rise due next year and find savings in the health and social security budget.
Diane
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
France prepares for a massive strike across all transports on September 18
Turkish tourism stalls due to soaring prices for accommodation and food
CCS Insight: eSIMs ready to take the travel world by storm
Germany new European Entry/Exit System limited to a single airport on October 12, 2025
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt