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Belgium National Strike - December 15, 2014

Belgium National Strike - December 15, 2014

Old Nov 8th, 2014, 06:08 PM
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Belgium National Strike - December 15, 2014

Hello fellow fodorites.

My son and his wife are booked on a one-way Eurostar trip from London to Brussels on December 15 this year. They have been notified now that there is a national strike planned for Belgium on that date and that train services will likely only be from London to Lille on the Belgium Route for that day.

Their visit to Belgium is the 2nd stop of a 7-week 1st time holiday to Europe from Australia, and all of their accommodation has been pre-booked (and mostly paid for).

Our question is: is it feasible to take the train to Lille and then find some way to get to Brussels on that day. They have booked and paid for accommodation in Brussels for 3 nights and plan a day trip to Bruges so really cannot afford to spend less time there if possible.

Can they expect to find a solution for getting from Lille to Brussels? Are there buses still running? Would a private driver be too expensive etc.

We look forward to hearing from anyone who can help with this dilemma.

Regards,

Steve
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Old Nov 8th, 2014, 09:50 PM
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There are trains from Lille to Brussels about once an hour when they are operating normally, sometimes with a transfer in Tournai. When there is a national strike in any European country, you generally would need a crystal ball to know exactly which forms of transportation might be operating.

However, specific information usually becomes available about 48 hours before a strike.
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Old Nov 8th, 2014, 10:47 PM
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As kerouc wrote, the actual impact will be hard to foresee until the Belgian unions and the affected transport companies issue more information.
It could be that Eurostar will provide bus replacement services between Lille and Brussels - or not.
It could be that some (regional) trains will run between Lille and Brussels - or not.
If you want to organize a cheap fall back option, you can book a coach ticket on idbus.com for the evening service on the 15th, which is still available for just 9 euro. And use the day to explore Lille and leave town after dinner. Though there is no guarantee that also that bus service will run 100pct as they may or may not have to rely on a Belgian driver.
If your friends wish to travel without hassles, though, they should move their travel date for London-Brussels to one day before or after Dec 15.
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Old Nov 9th, 2014, 12:36 AM
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I would avoid Brussels completely on December 15th. There was a demonstration last week, with riots near Brussels Midi station, where your son's train would stop from Lille.

15/12 is the last day of a whole series of strikes and industrial action throughout the country. It is not clear wether there will also be a demonstration in Brussels on the day of the strike, but it seems likely.

If they can spend the night in Lille, and travel to Brussels in the morning, that would be better. If they get to Brussels on the 14th, there's no telling what Brussels will be like on the 15th.
Check with the hotel in Brussels, and see what their advice is.
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Old Nov 9th, 2014, 12:36 AM
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Hi Kerouac and Cowboy,

Thanks very much for the quick response. Unfortunately it doesn't sound too promising does it? As you know, there are two types of travellers - those who pre-book and those who don't. I am a member of the former which until now has served us well.

The problem is that my son and DIL are flying to London from Australia where they have four nights which are booked and paid for.

They then have 3 nights booked and paid for in Brussels.

Given the amount there is to see and do in London (and the fact the first night will follow a 20-hour flight from Perth) and the fact that as well as Brussels they wish to take a day trip to Bruges, it is a difficult - and costly - decision as to which city they should cut one day from.
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Old Nov 9th, 2014, 12:39 AM
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Hello Tulips! Sorry I didn't mention you in my last post, but we must have been writing simultaneously

Thanks for the your advice - I will definitely contact the hotel and see what they recommend.
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Old Nov 9th, 2014, 01:13 AM
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Are they willing/able to FLY?
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Old Nov 9th, 2014, 01:49 AM
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If there's a national strike, it's very likely that Brussels Airport will be closed too.

This was the area near Brussels Midi station last Thursday;
http://nos.nl/video/718587-massaal-p...n-brussel.html
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Old Nov 9th, 2014, 01:52 AM
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Flying from London to BRU (Brussels major airport, not Charleroi/ Brussels "South" which most low cost carriers fly to) would be no big deal and probably still also not too pricey.
But: When there is a general strike I would not bet all my money on BRU airport working as normal.
But still you'd have to get from BRU to the city center - by train or city bus probably not, also affected by strike. And by taxi when there is a strike? Good luck.
Your friends could check how much a rental car from Lille would cost for a day (including a probably substantial extra fee for dropping off in another country) and drive.
Anyway, being in Brussels on the 15th will not be much fun, I suppose.

I don't see any solution that will remain the planned itinerary unchanged, and guarantee an on-time arrival in Brussels on the day of the strike, and won't involve extra costs.
At some point, your friends will have to compromise.
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Old Nov 9th, 2014, 04:10 AM
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If their Eurostar ticket is nonrefundable, I would take the train to Lille, spend an evening there (no hardship, it's a pleasant town) and continue onto Brussels on the morning of the 16th.
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Old Nov 9th, 2014, 05:25 AM
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Ditto to what Tulips suggests.
You don't want to be in Brussels (or any of the larger Belgian cities) when there's a strike.
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Old Nov 9th, 2014, 08:40 AM
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That's what I'd do, also. If you have to forfeit one night of the hotel in Brussels, that may just unfortunately be the cost of these unforeseen circumstances. If they have travel insurance, that might help although I'd probably just write it off. One night of hotel might not be that much more than renting a car for a day, anyway, and all that trouble.

This is one example of why I never prepay for hotels, with very few exceptions. Train tickets often pay for themselves if you prepay or aren't that expensive a loss, but hotels can be.
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Old Nov 9th, 2014, 11:05 AM
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I think what I would do is buy the 9 euro bus tickets AND book an inexpensive hotel in Lille (with a cancellation policy). If the strike is cancelled, then all you lose is the cost of the bus tickets. If the strike going forward but you can find out enough in advance that the bus will definitely be running, you can cancel the Lille hotel. Otherwise, they might arrive in Lille, hop on the bus, and need to kiss off the extra night's expense for an unused hotel room. But if the bus isn't running and the strike is on, they have a place to stay.

I just looked at booking.com for hotel availability in Lille on Dec 15. Most double rooms are under 150e, and have 24 hour cancellation policies., and I spotted one that will let you cancel up until 6pm on Dec 15 (Campanile Lille Euralille)
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Old Nov 9th, 2014, 11:23 AM
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Actually, I had missed that news of the riots so I just looked up the story. Based on what I read, I would skip buying the bus tickets, and just count on spending the night in Lille unless the strike is cancelled. But I wouldn't travel to Brussels in the midst of the strike, even if I could find a way to get there. Rioters were overturning cars, so I wouldn't want to go that route.
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Old Nov 9th, 2014, 11:40 AM
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(I meant to add I wouldn't grieve pre-booking the trip. In the entire scheme of things, the amount saved by pre-booking probably isn't roughly equivalent to what might now be spent to solve this problem.)
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Old Nov 9th, 2014, 11:59 AM
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Just see what happens (or is proposed) when you are ejected from the train in Lille. There will be hundreds of people in the same situation so there will almost certainly be some sort of alternative proposed.

If you think you might be stuck in Lille, you can consider booking one of the Accor hotels for an emergency. (www.accorhotels.com) You can cancel the reservation free of charge up until 18:00 or 19:00 on all of their unrestricted rates.
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Old Nov 9th, 2014, 05:00 PM
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Thank you all for your suggestions, great advice and insight into European strike days - we have not experienced strikes to that degree before.

We are not really grieving the decision to pre-book. Our family has had a total of 22 weeks (over three years) of incident-free pre-booking travelling so far. I guess law of averages something had to give. It's just unfortunately that it went pear-shaped for my son and DIL on their first trip.

At this point we are thinking that they will stay an extra night in London and wear the loss of the 1 night's accommodation in Brussels. Hopefully there is room on the Eurostar on the 16th.

Thanks again for all your help.
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Old Nov 9th, 2014, 11:12 PM
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Good idea.
Your folks should make the (free) change of reservations ASAP, according to the procedure on Eurostar's website:
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/...120320:EN:-pDF

In addition, they should not just show up on the 16th at the Brussels hotel they booked from the 15th.
On one hand, they could become a no-show if they don't show up on the 15th (regardless if they pre-booked, pre-paid) depending on the fineprint of the original reservation.
OTOH, when they contact the hotel to inform them about their one day later arrival, they should mention the Strike (as if the hotel would not guess) and claim "force majeure" (which a strike is, by the way).
There is a good chance that the hotel will let them off the hook for the first night - as they will be very likely to fill up on the 15th with people stranded in Brussels. At least they should try to ask for this..
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Old Nov 9th, 2014, 11:14 PM
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dang.. posted wrong link above.. just go to eurostar.com and click on the bright-colored warning re. the strikes.. you will find the required procedure for free change of reservations there
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Old Nov 29th, 2014, 11:53 PM
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I live in Brussels. I would advise that they avoid the city at all costs on 15 December. All public unions will be on strike and demonstrating. The last demonstrations were very violent. There will be NO public transit. The airports are closed (both Zavantem and Charleroi). What is already bad traffic will be catastrophic. Even some non-unionized businesses will not be open because their staff will not be able to get to work. Some shops have already decided to not even bother opening.

This will be the culminating strike of 3 planned events. It is going to be a nightmare.
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