Belga
Normal service resumed on the Brussels metro
The Brussels public transport company MIVB says that the issues it had been experiencing with staff absenteeism caused by the coronavirus pandemic have now been resolved. Although bus and tram services were not impacted, coronavirus-related absenteeism meant that service levels on the Brussels metro were reduced. The reduced timetable on the Brussel underground railway network took effect on 31 January. Normal service was resumed today.
High coronavirus infection rates among MIVB staff, particularly among drivers and those responsible for servicing the company’s vehicles, meant that it was forced to temporarily reduce the frequency of services on its 4 metro lines. However, the fact that many people that might otherwise use the metro to get to and from work have been (largely) working from home meant that the reduction in the frequency of metro services didn’t lead to overcrowded trains.
Normal service has now been resumed and trains will run every 5 minutes in both directions on the sections of metroline 1 between Stokkel and Merode and Line 5 between Herrmann Debroux and Merode and Weststation and Erasmus. Services will run every 2.5 minutes on the section of the metro that is served by both line 1 and line 5 between Merode and Weststation.
