Train from Rotterdam stood still for three hours in Antwerp: “Passengers had to transfer to a replacement train”

About half of the seats on the train were occupied. The dissatisfaction increased. “There are people who were on their way to the airport and who may now miss their flight. For me it is slightly less dramatic, but it is of course still very annoying,” says Vermeeren. “Not long ago I read a story of train passengers who were stuck for four hours.”

Exam

“My son Dries took the train from Noorderkempen to Antwerp around 10 o’clock,” reports an aggrieved father. “Right on time, because he had an exam in Antwerp at 12 noon. At 12.45 he was still on the train. It is now known that he can take a catch-up exam next Monday, but normally we left on Sunday for a trip to Egypt. If he does not take the exam, it will be a second sitting anyway. Thank you NMBS.”

Transferring from one train to another is quite easy. The passengers received a bottle of water and a snack. The replacement train with passengers left for Antwerp around 1:30 PM. The stationary train also had consequences for rail traffic. “There have been no trains running between Noorderkempen and Antwerp for a while,” says Dimitri Temmerman.

To tow

“A replacement bus was installed on this route. We were able to divert trains on longer routes to limit delays.” After evacuating the stranded train, a second locomotive arrived on site to tow the defective train away. That operation was completed around 1:45 p.m.