IT problem temporarily disrupts rail traffic in Belgium

A technical problem disrupted rail services across Belgium on Wednesday afternoon. Trains stood still at various stations around the country and screens failed to display information.

In Wallonia, a human error caused major problems with the network at around 13.00, infrastructure company Infrabel says. As a result, many trains stopped. "Several signal boxes had IT problems. The problem was probably caused by human error during an intervention," says Infrabel spokesperson Thomas Baeken.

By 13.40, the problem was solved and train traffic was gradually able to resume, with high-speed trains running at reduced speeds. Further delays are possible, but most of the disruption was expected to be over by the evening rush hour.

International rail services have also been affected. German ICE trains between Cologne and Amsterdam were diverted, causing severe delays, and several trains between Breda and Antwerp were cancelled.

The disruption comes less than a week after a software update from CrowdStrike grounded flights around the world. Belgium's SNCB was affected, with passengers unable to buy tickets online.

^{© BELGA PHOTO ERIC LALMAND}