Eurostar hit by Belgian strikes

The Brussels-London Eurostar service and the Brussels-Paris Thalys service have been paralysed by a strike by Belgian railway staff, Agence France-Presse reported.

The strike began at 9.00pm last night Belgian time and will end at 10pm tonight.

The Cologne-Paris Thalys service has been diverted to run through Wallonia and the Amsterdam-Paris Thalys service through Flanders, causing delays.

Tomorrow, two out of three Thalys services will run between Paris and Brussels, and operations will gradually get back to normal on Wednesday.

The strike is in protest at proposals to change the statutes of Societe Nationale des Chemins de Fer Belges (SNCB).