Mobility Minister Georges Gilkinet only moderately appreciated Infrabel’s late announcement to suspend rail traffic on part of the network on Friday followingnoon due to bad weather. He informed the boss of the network manager, Benoît Gilson.
No trains will run between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. in West Flanders nor in much of East Flanders. Traffic will also be at a standstill on the main lines around Antwerp. Infrabel’s late decision sparked reactions on the political benches given that storm Eunice had been announced for several days. The Dutch authorities, for example, decided on Thursday not to run their trains this Friday.
A call to order
For the Minister of Mobility, the security and information of travelers are a priority, but the Deputy Prime Ecolo is having trouble digesting the timing of the announcement, his cabinet said. The CEO of Infrabel, Benoît Gilson, has in the meantime been called to order and an evaluation meeting has been requested in the coming days.
Within the majority, the Vooruit parliamentarian, Joris Vandenbroucke, spoke of amateurism to qualify the attitude of the railways and of a “amazing quack“. Kim Buyst (Groen) also recognizes that Infrabel’s operational decision comes a bit late.
