Problems near Brussels

[OwlMan]

International train services were disrupted on Friday morning as a Eurostar and a Thalys train got stranded between Brussels and Halle, due to icing on overhead cabling, after a particularly cold and foggy night.

http://deredactie.be/cm/vrtnieuws.english/News/1.2856727
International train services were disrupted on Friday morning as a Eurostar and a Thalys train got stranded between Brussels and Halle, due to icing on overhead cabling, after a particularly cold and foggy night. The first heavy frost of the season, in combination with the fog, has caused delays for Belgian trains, but also on the international networks, where delays of half an hour or more were seen this morning between Brussels and Frankfurt, Brussels and London and Brussels and Paris.
Two high-speed trains ran out of power and simply couldn't go on, blocking the rails. "One Thalys train got stranded between Halle and Ruisbroek (just south of Brussels). It is being towed back to Brussels South. This problem will be solved soon", Thomas Baeken of Infrabel, the company responsible for rail infrastructure, told the VRT shortly before 11am. This Thalys had some 60 passengers on board and was heading for Strasbourg in France.
"Another train, a Eurostar, got stranded between Halle and Buizingen with some 300 passengers on board. It will also be towed back", Baeken added. The train had just started its journey in Brussels, heading for London.
Other international trains had to follow a different route as a result, which caused the delays. The problems are expected to continue until this afternoon.

 

[duesselmartin]

So it is possible for Eurostar to bei re-routed onto a classice line?

 

[MarcVD]

Between Halle and Brussels there are 4 tracks so re-routing is not too difficult. Otherwise E* trains are compatible with the whole 3kV electrified SNCB network. The most difficult is to have a driver knowing the itinerary.

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[gysev]

Between Halle and Brussels there are 4 tracks so re-routing is not too difficult. Otherwise E* trains are compatible with the whole 3kV electrified SNCB network. The most difficult is to have a driver knowing the itinerary.

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There is no connection between the high speed line and the national network in Halle, so trains would have to use the Halle - Tournai line. They can then use a connection to the high speed line at Silly (not a joke, that's the name of the village).

E* trains can NOT be used on all Belgian lines. They are only allowed on the high speed line, Brussels - Tournai - Lille and Brussels - Mons - Tournai lines.

 

[Gerald Fiennes]

Here's the link the "Le Soir" report from yesterday, which claims trains were indeed diverted via Tournai. The first train from BXL south, ie. the test train, got stuck but even so the Thalys and ES were despatched behind it.

http://www.lesoir.be/14-74/article/...1773139274842_1141773139274842#f57365bb97b354

For those that read French, the comments are quite entertaining. Mostly about wanting to bring back steam which doesn't get stuck in such situations!

 

[MarcVD]

Trains were not diverted via Tournai, but via the Tournai line, which probably confused the journalist. There are connections between L94 Halle-Tournai and the HSL midpoint between Enghien and Ath, where trains came back on their normal itinerary.

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