Belgium cancels hundreds of train services as temperatures soar to 38°C

Belgium's rail operator SNCB/NMBS has cut hundreds of services as temperatures climb as high as 38°C.

From Wednesday, maximum temperatures in most places will reach or even exceed 35°C, peaking at 38°C on Friday, Caliber.Az reports, citing The Brussels Times.

An orange heat alert is in force for virtually the whole country.

The SNCB reiterated the advice to avoid the rush hour as much as possible and that water bottles can be refilled at water fountains in around 100 stations.

Infrabel also decided on Tuesday to limit the speed on the high-speed connection between Brussels and the French border to prevent incidents that could be caused by a loose overhead line in the intense heat.

Trains will run at 170 km/h instead of 300 km/h from Thursday to Saturday between 13:00 and 19:00. The travel time on the Belgian part of the Brussels-Paris line will therefore increase by 12 minutes. The restriction only applies to the Belgian line HSL 1 – the Brussels-Lille/Paris high-speed line.

Several TEC bus lines between Brussels and Walloon Brabant will also not be served by the measure, LeTec reported, as few have air conditioning.

In addition, officials ordered the closure of one of the main tourist attractions, the Atomium.

The Atomium will be closed to the public from 14:00 on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, the monument's management announced.

The Brussels monument, which usually does not close its doors until 18:00, will only be open in the morning from 10:00 to 14:00. The last visitors are allowed in at 13:30.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov