It was the worst-case rail scenario for 1,400 passengers headed to the coast yesterday: The train ground to a halt, stranding everyone for more than two hours on the warmest day of the year
Some 1,400 rail passengers heading to the coast yesterday became stranded when the train ground to a halt in Affligem, about 17 kilometres west of Brussels. The crowded train experienced a technical problem that could not immediately be solved by onboard personnel. When light smoke came from the area of the defect, the fire department was brought in to evacuate passengers.
Until then, passengers sat for nearly two hours in the train in temperatures in the upper 20s. They were given water, but the air conditioning worked only intermittently. Several wagons were on an overpass, making evacuation difficult. Eventually they were led onto the track and made their way down to the street.
“We got very little information, and no one appeared to be in charge of the evacuation or to have any kind of plan,” said passenger Michel Koob. “There can always be technical problems, but how they handled this was just a disaster.”
Seven ill, two hospitalized
Because of very warm weather falling on the public holiday, the train was full of passengers hoping to spend a day at the beach. Following the evacuation, they were eventually led on foot to the Liedekerke train station to continue their journey. As it was already mid-afternoon, most passengers who spoke to VRT decided to head home rather than on to the coast.
Yesterday was the warmest day of the year so far, and seven people became sick. They were helped by emergency services on the scene, but two had to be taken to hospital.
“The whole thing took about two-and-a-half hours,” said passenger Linda Stiers, who had travelled all the way from Hasselt. “For us, it’s not so bad, but for the kids with their little plastic shovels, it’s very disappointing, of course. I did think we got enough information. It could have been handled a bit more smoothly, but I understand that’s it’s not so easy.”
The train was headed to Ostend, which experienced so much traffic yesterday that the city shut down entry roads. Traffic is expected to be more-or-less normal today and tomorrow, but an exodus from the beach back to inland cities is expected to cause heavy traffic again on Sunday.
In terms of train travel, there is also good news: Unions have suspended the strikes that have plagued the railways for the last several months as they continue negotiations.