On what is the first weekday of the 9-day rail strike,the question on many commuters’ lips on Monday morning was “how minimal can a minimum rail service be?” During the first full day of the strike on Saturday it already became clear that the rail company NMBS’ prediction that 60% of services would run had been somewhat over-optimistic. In addition to cancelled service, trains consisting of (far) fewer carriages than normal are also being used on some of the services that do run. In short, there is no lower limit to how minimal a minimum service can be. As long as some trains are running NMBS can say that a minimum service is being provided.
A minimum service on the railway doesn’t mean that a fixed number of services will run
Published:
On Monday morning fewer than half of all inter-city (IC) rail services in Belgium were running and as were only a quarter of all local (L) and commuter (P) services. To make matters worse one of the trains that arrived at the main railway station in Ghent (East Flanders) on Monday morning had so fewer carriages that many commuters that wished to board were unable to do so due to lack of space.
Many of those left behind were asking what is the point of a minimum service if even that fails to live up to promises and predictions made prior to the strike.
Even the name of the bill “The continuity of service with regard to the transportation of persons by rail during a strike” act that when it became law obliged NMBS to provide a service during a strike does not appear to match the reality on the ground during this week’s dispute.
The NMBS’ spokesman Dimitri Temmerman told VRT News that "We don’t use the term ‘minimum service’ we would rather refer to it as an ‘alternative rail service’. The reason for this is simple. The law does not require NMBS to provide a minimum number of services during strikes.
Predictability
Peter Meukens of the passengers’ association TreinTramBus confirms that there is no minimum level of services that must be provided.
"It is the case that the law stipulates that rail workers must say in advance whether or not they plan to strike. Based on the number of staff that plan to work, NMBS can draw up a revised timetable with a more or less guaranteed service on the day of a strike. If, for example, only 10 staff plan to work, not many trains will run”.
But what is the point then? Peter Meukens says that “At least it provides clarity for passengers. Previously, when there was a strike, the unions could decide de facto that no one would be allowed to work. Now it is the case that those that wish to strike can strike and those that wish to work can work. This means that, in theory, passengers know 24 hours in advance which trains will be running."
Refund
TreinTramBus expects a gesture from the rail company NMBS to compensate passengers for the inconvenience caused by the strike.
“If you only got half of your order at Bol.com (a mail order website) you would complain”. In the past NMBS issued so-called ‘Sorry passes’ to compensate passengers for their inconvenience". The Sorry Pass offers a day’s free travel on the Belgian rail network. In the past, NMBS has already issued a 'Sorry Pass' passengers affected by a strike.
For those of you that were wondering, all the usual compensation for delays still apply during strikes, as a strike is not considered force majeure. This means that if your train is delayed by at least 60 minutes, the value of your ticket will be fully reimbursed. This also applies to season ticket holders, by the way, and even if their employer pays for their journey.