What kind of disruption can we expect on public transport and the roads during Thursday’s National Day of Action

Flemish local transport company De Lijn estimates that just over half of all bus and tram services will be running. It suggests the following percentages of services will be operating in the following provinces:

Antwerp: 44 percent

East Flanders: 47 percent

Flemish Brabant: 55 percent

Limburg: 61 per cent

West Flanders: 52 per cent

In the big cities, the number of services operating will be lower: in Antwerp, 40 per cent of trams and buses are expected to be running, in Ghent the figure is only 32 per cent. Only half of all scheduled coastal tram services are expected to run tomorrow.

De Lijn warns that the exact extent of the disruption can’t be predicted and urges the travelling public to consult De Lijn’s website and app to see whether your bus or tram is on its way.

Brussels local transport company MIVB too warns that the National Day of Action will result in ‘significant disruption’ to services in Brussels but has given a commitment to try and ensure at least some services. Passengers can remain abreast of disruption by logging onto the MIVB website and consulting social media channels, the app and screens at stops. The MIVB will also provide information via its new WhatsApp channel. People who need to get around in Brussels on Thursday are advised to find an alternative solution.

The national rail company NMBS is not taking part in the National Day of Action. There may even be extra trains to get all demonstrators to Brussels.

Traffic in the capital

A National Demonstration will start at 10.30 am tomorrow and will head from the Brussels North station to the Brussels South station. A lot of disruption is expected in the capital during the demonstration. The unions expect twice as many people as on the previous Day of Action a month ago. Back then, some 30,000 people marched through the streets of the Belgian and Flemish capital.

The union action is not the only event on Thursday that Brussels police believe will cause disruption. There is also a NATO summit as well as the opening of the Bright Festival, a light festival in Brussels. With fewer MIVB services, police fear traffic chaos.

Mail deliveries hit

Belgian postal service Bpost also expects disruption of its services. There is a strike in sorting centres in Wallonia and Brussels that will also affect letter and parcel distribution in Flanders.

Waste collection

In Brussels people should be aware of the possibility of serious disruption to waste collection services. To avoid rubbish bags being left out on the streets for too long, refuse company Net Brussel is asking people not to leave rubbish bags outside tonight and to put them out on the next collection date.

The same applies in Antwerp: ‘If a lot of rubbish is put out, the city may decide to organise non-selective collections. Then all the waste goes into one rubbish truck’ an official explained.