The NMBS has been struggling with staff shortages for months, which means it has to cut back on the offer. This is particularly noticeable in Antwerp. Improvements are now in sight for commuters between Brussels and Antwerp.
From September 4, four IC trains will run per hour again. The IC train, which stops in Mortsel-Oude God, Mechelen-Nekkerspoel and Vilvoorde, will run again from then on.
The NMBS still has to intervene on other lines because there is insufficient staff. For example, the S53 between Gent-Sint-Pieters and Lokeren will not run even after the summer holidays, and the NMBS is scrapping a large part of the S32 trains between Antwerp Central and Essen. Some P-trains in the Antwerp region will also remain cancelled.
“SNCB is busy recruiting new people, including many train conductors. Filling all these vacancies is not easy in a tight labor market as we know it today in a number of regions,” says spokesman Dimitri Temmerman. “Efforts are being made continuously, but it does take time. Because once recruited, new train conductors go through a training program of about four months before they can be deployed effectively.”