Trade union actions will cause major disruption in Flanders on Thursday, February 13, 2025.
The joint union front is organising a day of action in protest against the plans of the new federal government. The unions of De Lijn are joining the action, which will cause serious disruption to bus and tram traffic that day. Travellers are being called upon to adjust their travel plans in time.
This is not the first time that public transport in Flanders has been hit by union actions. In the past, strikes at De Lijn have also led to inconvenience for thousands of commuters. The strike of 13 February is the result of dissatisfaction with the federal government's policy plans, although the exact sore points have not been specified by the unions.
limited service
As with previous actions, De Lijn is trying to limit the impact on passengers by developing an adjusted timetable. This alternative service will be available on the De Lijn website from Tuesday 11 February in the afternoon. Passengers can use the route planner in the app or on the website to check which journeys will and will not take place.
It is important that cancelled trips no longer appear in the route planner. On the stop and line pages, cancelled trips will be indicated with 'not running'. When a trip gets the message 'no tracking info', this probably means that the bus or tram will not run. Despite these precautions, there may be minimal differences between the previously communicated timetable and the actual situation on the day of the action.
Commuters who normally use De Lijn fear that the strike will lead to extra congestion on the roads. Especially in the big cities such as Antwerp, Ghent and Brussels, it is expected that many travelers will switch to the car, which could cause longer traffic jams. Employers' organizations call for working from home where possible, to reduce the impact on traffic.
In previous strikes, reduced service from De Lijn also led to frustrated passengers. “I understand that unions are taking action, but it is the commuters who are footing the bill,” says an angry commuter from Ghent. “I will have to leave early again and hope that I get to work on time.”
apologies
De Lijn regrets the inconvenience and disruption caused by the union action and apologizes to passengers. However, the impact remains significant, especially for those who do not have an alternative means of transport.
The question remains how long the unions' discontent will last and whether further actions will follow. For now, the strike of 13 February is a one-off action, but unions do not rule out new strike days in the future if negotiations with the government do not produce the desired results.
