UK visitors planning city breaks and business trips to Belgium in late January are being warned to brace for severe disruption, as a week of national rail strikes is set to cripple services across the country and create knock-on delays for international connections.

With Belgian railway unions confirming industrial action that will affect almost all domestic routes for nearly a full working week, travel operators are advising British passengers to expect major timetable changes, crowded remaining services and widespread uncertainty around connections to and from Brussels.

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Week-long rail stoppage to hit Belgium at peak winter travel time

Belgian rail unions representing staff at national operator SNCB and infrastructure manager Infrabel have announced a coordinated strike running from late on Sunday 25 January until the evening of Friday 30 January 2026. The formal strike notice specifies that industrial action will begin at 22:00 on 25 January and end at 22:00 on 30 January, effectively impacting six consecutive days of passenger operations spanning a full working week and both end-of-day travel peaks.

The walkout is being framed by unions as a decisive response to government-backed reforms that would abolish permanent civil servant status for new rail workers from mid 2026 and introduce changes to decision-making rules in joint committees. Rail unions argue that the measures, combined with funding cuts and future pension changes, undermine job security and service quality. Government officials say the reforms are needed to prepare Belgium’s rail system for increased competition and long-term financial sustainability.

For travellers, the political backdrop is largely secondary to the practical effect: a prolonged period in which normal rail timetables simply will not apply. SNCB is required to operate a minimum service during strikes, but both the company and Belgian universities and public bodies have warned that this will still mean heavily reduced frequencies and potentially long gaps in service on some lines.

Minimum service means far fewer trains and late timetable confirmation

The most challenging aspect for visitors is that Belgium’s minimum-service formula does not produce a fixed, easy-to-consult reduced timetable weeks in advance. Instead, railway staff are required to declare whether they intend to work several days before each strike day. SNCB then uses those declarations to draw up an alternative transport plan, which it says typically takes around 48 hours to finalise and is only published about 24 hours before travel.

This means UK passengers who are used to planning rail journeys well ahead of time will face an unusually narrow planning window. A ticket booked today for a journey during the strike period will not guarantee that the specific train shown in the normal timetable will actually run. Instead, travellers will need to re-check their route the day before departure to see which services are confirmed in the updated journey planner.

Previous week-long actions in Belgium have demonstrated how disruptive this model can be. During a nine-day rail strike in early 2025 and later week-long stoppages that same year, SNCB moved to a skeletal timetable in which only a portion of InterCity services ran and many local and regional trains were cancelled outright. The operator has warned again that the impact in January will vary by day and by line, depending on how many staff report for duty, but that passengers should in all cases expect fewer trains and busier carriages.

Brussels Airport and Eurostar connections at particular risk

For UK travellers, the most immediate concern is the impact on airport transfers and high-speed links. Brussels Airport, located in Zaventem, relies heavily on frequent direct trains to and from central Brussels and other major Belgian cities. During previous strikes, these airport trains have run at sharply reduced frequencies or been suspended at certain times of day, forcing passengers onto already busy buses, taxis and rideshare services.

Travel advisers are urging passengers flying in or out of Brussels during the strike window to allow significantly longer connection times than usual and to have a road-based backup option wherever possible. Early morning departures and late-night arrivals are considered especially vulnerable, as the strike’s start and end times affect late-evening positioning trains and first-wave services the following mornings. A single cancelled airport train can mean missing a long-haul departure or arriving in the small hours without onward rail options.

The effect on cross-Channel rail is likely to be more indirect but still serious. Eurostar, which links London St Pancras with Brussels Midi via Lille and the Channel Tunnel, generally operates even when there are domestic Belgian strikes. However, its Brussels services depend on Belgian staff and infrastructure for station operations and local movements, and many passengers rely on domestic trains to complete their journeys beyond the capital. Past Belgian strike waves have led Eurostar to pare back certain departures and warn of limited onward connections, particularly for routes timed to feed into busy commuter periods.

City breaks in Brussels, Bruges and Ghent face disruption and crowding

Popular city-break destinations such as Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp are all served primarily by rail, with UK visitors typically stepping off a Eurostar or flight and boarding a domestic train to reach their hotel. During the strike, many of these convenient through journeys are likely to be broken up or significantly slowed as frequencies fall and some direct services disappear from the timetable.

On heavily used lines between Brussels and other major cities, a reduced timetable means not only fewer departures but also uneven spacing across the day. Travel planners expect that when trains do run, they will be considerably busier than usual, especially in the morning and late afternoon. Travellers arriving from London at peak times may find themselves standing on crowded platforms waiting for a confirmed service or competing for limited seats on the trains that are operating.

The knock-on effects can extend beyond the rail network itself. In earlier strikes, blocked rail corridors prompted spikes in demand for intercity coaches, private transfers and one-way car rentals, particularly between Brussels, Antwerp, Bruges and coastal resorts. That in turn drove up prices and made it more difficult to secure last-minute alternatives. Hoteliers in central hubs have also reported a rise in unplanned overnight stays when visitors are unable to complete a planned same-day journey to another city.

National strike mood and broader transport disruption

The rail stoppage comes amid a wider climate of industrial unrest in Belgium. Trade union federations have warned repeatedly that they intend to maintain pressure on the government into early 2026, with a series of national and sectoral actions aimed at labour and social policies. While the January rail strike is focused on SNCB and Infrabel reforms, it is closely linked to broader union frustration about public-sector funding, purchasing power and working conditions.

That broader context matters for UK visitors because large rail strikes in Belgium are sometimes accompanied by solidarity actions in other sectors. In recent years, national strike days have led to cancellations of flights from Brussels Airport and Charleroi, widespread disruption to city buses, trams and metros, and reduced staffing in municipal services. While the announced 26 to 30 January action is centred on rail, UK travellers should watch for announcements by airlines, airport authorities and urban transport networks as the dates approach, in case other unions decide to join the protest.

Local transport operators in Brussels and other major cities typically publish strike-day service levels at short notice, similar to the railways. Visitors reliant on metro or tram services to reach business appointments or conference venues may therefore face the same late-breaking uncertainty as rail passengers, reinforcing the need for flexible planning and backup options such as walking routes or taxis.

Travel advice for UK tourists and business travellers

Tour operators and corporate travel managers in the UK are already adjusting itineraries for late January and issuing guidance to clients. A common recommendation is to treat the entire week beginning Monday 26 January as a disrupted period in Belgium, even though the strike officially begins the previous evening. Travellers are being urged to avoid tight same-day connections between flights, Eurostar services and domestic Belgian trains, and to consider building in overnight stops in Brussels to reduce the risk of missed onward journeys.

For leisure travellers heading to popular destinations such as Bruges or Ghent, a key message is to remain flexible about arrival and departure times and, where possible, consider shifting travel to dates outside the strike window. Those who cannot adjust their schedules are advised to research coach services, shared shuttle providers and car-hire options in advance, since demand for these alternatives generally spikes during long rail stoppages. Booking cancellable or changeable accommodation can make it easier to adapt plans if a connection falls through.

Travel insurers are also reminding customers to check the fine print of their policies, as coverage for strike-related disruption can vary significantly. Some policies treat industrial action as a known risk once announced and may impose restrictions on newly booked trips. Others provide compensation for additional hotel nights or alternative transport if travellers can demonstrate that their original rail journey was cancelled or severely delayed because of the strike.

EU passenger rights and what UK travellers can claim

Despite the disruption, passengers on Belgian and international trains still benefit from EU rail passenger rights, which remain applicable to journeys that take place within the European Union. Under these rules, travellers whose trains are cancelled or subject to long delays are normally entitled to rerouting at the earliest opportunity or reimbursement of the unused portion of their ticket. Depending on the length of the delay, partial refunds and assistance at stations may also be due.

Rail experts note, however, that applying these rights during a multi-day national strike can be complex. With fewer trains in circulation, rerouting options can be limited, particularly at peak times, and staff at stations may themselves be reduced. Passengers are therefore encouraged to keep clear records of any cancellations or major delays, including screenshots from journey planners and written communications from carriers, which can be used to support later claims.

For UK visitors using Eurostar in combination with Belgian domestic trains, responsibilities may be split between operators. In practice, this means that a delay or cancellation on an internal Belgian leg could trigger support from SNCB, while a missed onward Eurostar departure may fall under that company’s compensation and rebooking policies. Coordinating claims can require persistence, and travel advisers strongly suggest submitting them promptly after the trip while documentation is easy to assemble.

Monitoring developments as negotiations continue

Although unions are openly sceptical about the chances of a last-minute breakthrough, formal negotiations with the government are expected to continue into January. Previous Belgian industrial disputes have occasionally produced partial compromises or limited adjustments to strike plans close to the start date, which can soften the impact on passengers without fully resolving the underlying conflict. For that reason, observers caution against assuming that the precise pattern of service reductions is already fixed.

UK travellers with trips planned during the affected period are being encouraged to monitor updates from their train operators, airlines and tour companies regularly in the weeks before departure, and then again in the 48 to 24 hours before each travel day. Experience from earlier Belgian strike waves suggests that the practical details that matter most to passengers, such as which specific trains will run and whether airport or metro links are operational, often emerge only at the last minute.

What is clear already is that the final week of January 2026 is shaping up to be a difficult period for rail-based travel in Belgium. For UK tourists and business travellers who rely on fast and frequent trains to move quickly between Brussels, other Belgian cities and the wider European network, preparation and flexibility will be essential to keeping itineraries on track.