No trains to Belgian coast on last weekend in January

Rail services between Bruges and the Belgian coast will be suspended on the final weekend of January as major infrastructure works take place on the line managed by rail network operator Infrabel.

The stoppage affects travellers heading to coastal areas such as Ostend, Blankenberge and Knokke, which are usually served by trains running through Bruges.

The line between Bruges and the coast forms part of the Brussels-Ghent-Ostend railway, one of Belgium’s busiest rail corridors linking the capital and other inland cities to the Belgian North Sea coast.

Rail infrastructure company Infrabel said the work was necessary to maintain safety and reliability on the heavily used coastal connection.

All services between Bruges and the coast will be cancelled throughout Saturday 31 January and Sunday 1 February.

Replacement bus services will be arranged by SNCB for affected sections, and passengers can use their usual tickets for travel on these services.

In certain cases, longer journey times and route changes may occur as a result of the work.

The replacement bus journey will add about 30 minutes to an average journey time between Brussels and Ostend, and up to an extra hour from Brussels to Knokke.

Travellers heading to western parts of the Belgian coast - near the French border - can alternatively take a train from Ghent-Sint-Pieters to De Panne, which is not affected by the line closure.