Many train services were cancelled in Belgium today, 2 November, due to the severe weather conditions caused by Storm Ciaran. The storm hit several European countries at the beginning of this week, including the UK, Ireland, France, Belgium and the Netherlands.
Kuehne+Nagel received news this morning that the Maasvlakte II terminal at Rotterdam Port suspended operations due to bad weather. The terminal closed access for trucks today at 09:30 a.m., and barge, rail and deepsea operations were stopped at 10:00 a.m. Port terminals in the French Le Havre have also suspended operations today until further notice.
In Belgium, local news reported that the rail network was subjected to an 80 km/h speed limit as a precautionary measure. Similarly, the French authorities have decided to implement such measures, including cancelling some train services.
Port terminals PSA Antwerp, MPET Deurganck Terminal and Hupac Rail Terminal Antwerp have also announced disruptions to their operations today. Here is a short description of the announced interruptions:
- PSA Antwerp: While some gate and truck handling will continue, berth and landside operations have been suspended for the Q869 and Q913 terminals. For now, operations are expected to resume from 10:00 p.m. this evening.
- MPET Deurganck: The terminal is operational but needs to halt its operations due to the heavy wind, either on the quay or on the landside of the terminal.
- Hupac Rail Terminal Antwerp: Terminal operations will stop at 1:00 p.m. today due to the expected heavy winds, with no clear sight of when activities will resume.
Rail workers announce strike in Belgium
From 10:00 p.m. on 7 November to 10:00 p.m. on 9 November, the rail network in Belgium will come to a standstill. According to a report by Crisis24, unionised rail workers in the country will stage a nationwide strike to demand industry reforms.
SLFP Cheminots, one of the unions representing the workers, further added that a second 48-hour strike in December will follow the strikes in November. These strikes will start at 10:00 p.m. on Tuesday, 5 December, and end at 10:00 p.m. on Thursday, 7 December.
