“Train broken down for 4 p.m. between Brussels-Midi and Halle stations. Locomotive broken down. SNCB has not yet had the locomotive towed”Franck told us at the start of the evening via our orange Alert us button. “We’ve been stuck on the train since 4:45 p.m. Just before hall. There are 2 year olds stuck with us. Without heating without light”wrote Laura. “Our daughter is at a stop a little after Hal, on SNCB line 94. She took the 4.27 p.m. train at the Gare du Midi. It’s almost 8 p.m. and she still hasn’t moved. There’s no more heating or light on the train. We’re talking about towing it to Brussels and only then can she take a train back home. She’s been leaving since 6am.”still lamented Christel.
Many of you have contacted us via the orange Alert us button to report a train problem near Halle, in Flemish Brabant. A train connecting Schaerbeek to Mouscron actually broke down around 5 p.m., the SNCB spokesperson informed us. “At first, our driver will always try to repair his train, but when he realized that his train could not restart, we had to bring in emergency services to tow the train towards Brussels-Midi”explains Marianne Hiernaux.
The train had stopped in the middle of rush hour, so it was not easy to bring “towing elements” to Hal. Which is why it took so long. About 300 passengers were on board. But in the middle of the evening, the train was finally able to be towed towards Bruxelles-midi, where another train is waiting for passengers to return to Mouscron. “Travellers will be welcomed at Brussels-Midi station to receive food and drink”specifies the SNCB spokesperson. “The situation will have to settle down in the next few hours. traffic has been disrupted, we are counting on some delays during the end of the evening until the end of train traffic”she concludes.