Yet somehow my train was on time. Damn no excuse for a late start for me.
So glad I’m now able to telework instead of that insufferable daily commute. Trains to/from Hasselt are always the last in the queue. NMBS/SNCB hates Limburg.
WFH is a blessing. Glad I don’t have to deal with the poor NMBS organisation on a daily basis.
Always a thrill, will I make it to work today or not
Courage
Cables were stolen between Jette and Bockstael.
Same situation going home yesterday, what a mess this week!
Well, glad to see the situation is resolved. Or is it? I’m arriving in Brussels in 20 minutes.
Edit: As I said this… In train announcement said they had issues bringing staff here due to perturbations between Brussels and Braine-le-Comte, AND that we would probably be late due to damage on the network in Ruisbroek.
Frick.
Another edit: Friend tells me the entirety of Charleroi is closed due to a collision between people. Wew.
Wow, my train (8h47) was one of the only ones to arrive on time.
A normal day in a normal country.
Had to go back home and work home as I had no train to get to Brussels this morning, due to cables stolen in Jette
Im currently on holiday in South Korea and it’s actually crazy how well organized public transport is here.
1. Cheap
2. Super reliable
3. Can get everywhere
4. Wifi on every train, bus, metro.
Fuck I hate commuting to work everyday in Belgium. Train is unreliable, no metros, unreliable busses and trams with shitty schedules and often limited reach. Or take a car and stand in traffic jams for hours every week. On top of that, it’s 2022 and none of these jackasses thought of implementing wifi on every train, tram or bus yet. Which means that if id want to work on the train, id need to use a shitty hotspot connection.
WFH is nice but we have a really cool office so I like to go to the office frequently. Doing so however means losing so much time commuting. If our public transport was anywhere as good as it is here, id probably stop using my car entirely.
Pfffff, gelukkig dat ik kan thuiswerken de rest van de week, anders stond ik daar ook vandaag te wachten
Ik was een tijd terug op vakantie in Zwitserland, verschillende steden bezocht, altijd met de trein. Beschamend hoe goed het daar werkt (voor een groter land met een lagere bevolking dan België) in vergelijking met hier.
Boss: “You should’ve left your house 4 hours early just in case” 🤡
We want better public transit? We better be prepared to pay for it instead of continuously voting for parties who defund it over and over again. This federal government is the first one in 2 decades that didn’t cut the NMBS budget while the Flemish government is still cutting De Lijn’s budget.
We get what we vote for
This just adds a little bit of extra colour to those screens!
Had lots of fun with replacement busses this weekend as well. Had to work on Sunday and the bus simply didn’t show up so I ended up going by bike Also on Saturday the driver was an hour late (or possibly, left ten minutes early, making me wait for the next) and had to ask directions from the passengers, lol.
People from other countries: why don’t you just use the public transport, it’s quick and easy!
Belgium:
I’ve taken the train 3 times in Belgium this year. Every damn single time I was more than an hour late because of random bullshit.
My best one:
Took the train from Lille to Kortrijk/Courtrai. The 18:00 train, didn’t drive. Cause why not. I take the train at 19:00. I arrive in Kortrijk. The train of 20:55 to Ostend does not drive exceptionally today. Cause why not.
I decide to take a different route, with a train at 21:16. Suddenly the panel changes from 20:55 “does not drive today” to “13 minutes delay”. Okay? Apparently our train just magically appeared on the train tracks out of the blue.
What happens next, some guy with a fluohesje runs into the station. “HEY GUYS THE TRAIN OF 20:55 IS ACTUALLY ALREADY HERE NOW, IT’S ON TRACK 6. GO NOW IF YOU WANNA TAKE IT”. Me and some other people are slow to respond because of the confusion. Everyone was already ready to wait for the 21:16 one and it’s 21:02 at this time. The guy yells “IF YOU WERE PLANNING ON TAKING THE ONE OF 21:16 I STILL ADVISE THE ONE NOW BECAUSE THE 21:16 ONE MIGHT BE LATER”
So we get up.. we start walking. I just got down the stairs to walk to the other platform (with all other people behind me). The guy runs to us “YOU ARE TOO LATE, THE TRAIN JUST LEFT”. It’s 21:04 ??
So in short:
My first train doesn’t drive, wait 1h
My second train (connection) also doesn’t drive today. But then it magicallydoes?? But with 13 minutes delay. But actually it’s here RIGHT NOW and you should get on. But no wait you are already too late it left 4 minutes early to the reported delay.
Complete shitfest. I have 0 sympathy for any of those idiots.
How does it come that the NMBS in Brussels North can’t find people who speak Dutch over the intercom? This morning, with the Jette problem, a guy tried making a message in a language that certainly wasn’t Dutch. It was more a cryptogram than a message and i still haven’t got a clue what he tried to say.
Don’t know about that, I have a 3 minute bike commute that’s not very exciting. It does have a nice downhill but that was more thrilling before they resurfaced the road and it was full with potholes. It is a lot safer now though.
I’m so glad I don’t have to see this anymore. About 15 years ago I started working in Brussels and I had to take the train from Genk everyday. I’m not a very patient person, and every single minute that I just stood there waiting on a train and doing nothing felt like a lifetime.
In the meantime I met my wife in Brussels and we moved there, so I only had to take a 7-minute trip by train. But even so I just don’t like taking the train. Now after covid we only have to go to the office once in a fortnight, but I have decided to take the one hour walk to and from the office.
But the train companies don’t do much to refute the prejudices, do they? In July my son and I went to my parents in Limburg by train, we arrived in Brussels North from Jette only to find out the train had been cancelled. One hour of doing nothing in Brussels North! The train didn’t go to Genk either. No, we had to get off in Hasselt and take an overcrowded bus to Genk. Four hours after leaving the house I arrived at my parents home in what is normally a one hour trip by car.
A few days later we decided to go to Amsterdam by train. We would go for the early train and just before we left the house I checked: train cancelled and that’s when I really had enough 😀 I don’t think I’ll be taking the train any time soon.
23 comments
Yet somehow my train was on time. Damn no excuse for a late start for me.
So glad I’m now able to telework instead of that insufferable daily commute. Trains to/from Hasselt are always the last in the queue. NMBS/SNCB hates Limburg.
WFH is a blessing. Glad I don’t have to deal with the poor NMBS organisation on a daily basis.
Always a thrill, will I make it to work today or not
Courage
Cables were stolen between Jette and Bockstael.
Same situation going home yesterday, what a mess this week!
Well, glad to see the situation is resolved. Or is it? I’m arriving in Brussels in 20 minutes.
Edit: As I said this… In train announcement said they had issues bringing staff here due to perturbations between Brussels and Braine-le-Comte, AND that we would probably be late due to damage on the network in Ruisbroek.
Frick.
Another edit: Friend tells me the entirety of Charleroi is closed due to a collision between people. Wew.
Wow, my train (8h47) was one of the only ones to arrive on time.
A normal day in a normal country.
Had to go back home and work home as I had no train to get to Brussels this morning, due to cables stolen in Jette
Im currently on holiday in South Korea and it’s actually crazy how well organized public transport is here.
1. Cheap
2. Super reliable
3. Can get everywhere
4. Wifi on every train, bus, metro.
Fuck I hate commuting to work everyday in Belgium. Train is unreliable, no metros, unreliable busses and trams with shitty schedules and often limited reach. Or take a car and stand in traffic jams for hours every week. On top of that, it’s 2022 and none of these jackasses thought of implementing wifi on every train, tram or bus yet. Which means that if id want to work on the train, id need to use a shitty hotspot connection.
WFH is nice but we have a really cool office so I like to go to the office frequently. Doing so however means losing so much time commuting. If our public transport was anywhere as good as it is here, id probably stop using my car entirely.
Pfffff, gelukkig dat ik kan thuiswerken de rest van de week, anders stond ik daar ook vandaag te wachten
Ik was een tijd terug op vakantie in Zwitserland, verschillende steden bezocht, altijd met de trein. Beschamend hoe goed het daar werkt (voor een groter land met een lagere bevolking dan België) in vergelijking met hier.
Boss: “You should’ve left your house 4 hours early just in case” 🤡
We want better public transit? We better be prepared to pay for it instead of continuously voting for parties who defund it over and over again. This federal government is the first one in 2 decades that didn’t cut the NMBS budget while the Flemish government is still cutting De Lijn’s budget.
We get what we vote for
This just adds a little bit of extra colour to those screens!
Had lots of fun with replacement busses this weekend as well. Had to work on Sunday and the bus simply didn’t show up so I ended up going by bike Also on Saturday the driver was an hour late (or possibly, left ten minutes early, making me wait for the next) and had to ask directions from the passengers, lol.
People from other countries: why don’t you just use the public transport, it’s quick and easy!
Belgium:
I’ve taken the train 3 times in Belgium this year. Every damn single time I was more than an hour late because of random bullshit.
My best one:
Took the train from Lille to Kortrijk/Courtrai. The 18:00 train, didn’t drive. Cause why not. I take the train at 19:00. I arrive in Kortrijk. The train of 20:55 to Ostend does not drive exceptionally today. Cause why not.
I decide to take a different route, with a train at 21:16. Suddenly the panel changes from 20:55 “does not drive today” to “13 minutes delay”. Okay? Apparently our train just magically appeared on the train tracks out of the blue.
What happens next, some guy with a fluohesje runs into the station. “HEY GUYS THE TRAIN OF 20:55 IS ACTUALLY ALREADY HERE NOW, IT’S ON TRACK 6. GO NOW IF YOU WANNA TAKE IT”. Me and some other people are slow to respond because of the confusion. Everyone was already ready to wait for the 21:16 one and it’s 21:02 at this time. The guy yells “IF YOU WERE PLANNING ON TAKING THE ONE OF 21:16 I STILL ADVISE THE ONE NOW BECAUSE THE 21:16 ONE MIGHT BE LATER”
So we get up.. we start walking. I just got down the stairs to walk to the other platform (with all other people behind me). The guy runs to us “YOU ARE TOO LATE, THE TRAIN JUST LEFT”. It’s 21:04 ??
So in short:
My first train doesn’t drive, wait 1h
My second train (connection) also doesn’t drive today. But then it magicallydoes?? But with 13 minutes delay. But actually it’s here RIGHT NOW and you should get on. But no wait you are already too late it left 4 minutes early to the reported delay.
Complete shitfest. I have 0 sympathy for any of those idiots.
How does it come that the NMBS in Brussels North can’t find people who speak Dutch over the intercom? This morning, with the Jette problem, a guy tried making a message in a language that certainly wasn’t Dutch. It was more a cryptogram than a message and i still haven’t got a clue what he tried to say.
Don’t know about that, I have a 3 minute bike commute that’s not very exciting. It does have a nice downhill but that was more thrilling before they resurfaced the road and it was full with potholes. It is a lot safer now though.
I’m so glad I don’t have to see this anymore. About 15 years ago I started working in Brussels and I had to take the train from Genk everyday. I’m not a very patient person, and every single minute that I just stood there waiting on a train and doing nothing felt like a lifetime.
In the meantime I met my wife in Brussels and we moved there, so I only had to take a 7-minute trip by train. But even so I just don’t like taking the train. Now after covid we only have to go to the office once in a fortnight, but I have decided to take the one hour walk to and from the office.
But the train companies don’t do much to refute the prejudices, do they? In July my son and I went to my parents in Limburg by train, we arrived in Brussels North from Jette only to find out the train had been cancelled. One hour of doing nothing in Brussels North! The train didn’t go to Genk either. No, we had to get off in Hasselt and take an overcrowded bus to Genk. Four hours after leaving the house I arrived at my parents home in what is normally a one hour trip by car.
A few days later we decided to go to Amsterdam by train. We would go for the early train and just before we left the house I checked: train cancelled and that’s when I really had enough 😀 I don’t think I’ll be taking the train any time soon.