Belgium train strikes march
 

We’re travelling to Belgium next week in the middle of the train strikes. We’ll be going Brussels to Bruges the Bruges to Ghent then Ghent to Brussels.

I haven’t booked our train tickets yet - should I book them so we’re guaranteed seats on any rail replacement coaches or should I check the schedule the night before (as per the SNCB website) and try to book on whatever limited train they might have running?

Should I actually just book a car and drive?

Don't buy train tickets in advance on Belgian trains. They are mass transit and you don't need to do this to reserve seats, as you can't, you don't buy tickets for a specific train. There will be information on the SNCB website about which of the trains are actually running. There will be some still running, the strike won't affect all trains. The website tells you the day before exactly which trains are running. Have a look here, there are search engines for each day of the strike: https://www.belgiantrain.be/en/trave...el-info/strike

However if you want to avoid messing around and you are travelling between 23 March and 31 March, it couldn't hurt to get a car. But for that I'd get onto it quickly, you and everyone else will be thinking the same thing.

Lavandula

Thankyou - I think I’ll hire a car with free last minute cancellation and then check the train times the night before

That's good thinking! I hear about 40-60% of the trains are usually running and that strikers are obliged to declare in advance when they will not be working so that plans can be made. So you should have some certainty about which trains are running by the night before.

Lavandula

What Lavandula says. Workers need to declare 48 hours in advance if they will be striking. Belgian rail will announce schedules 24 hours in advance, see the link to Belgian Rail.
These strikes are extremely annoying. It's more like blackmail than strike, as it involves only a small number of staff that have the power to stop trains and their issue is not with the rail company but with the government. So there is nothing Belgian Rail can do to negotiate. Basically they want to retain their right to a full pension at 55.

Thankyou - my main question is will we be likely to get a seat/ticket on the limited service?

There are no seat reservations and no limits on tickets. If it is busy, you may have to stand. There is no benefit in buying tickets ahead of time, just buy them online on the day.
The NMBS app is usefull for checking schedules.