The services of the Flemish public transport authority De Lijn were disrupted across Flanders, with delays of 15 to 30 minutes. In Brussels, trams and metros were running normally, while some bus routes were cancelled and others experienced delays.

According to the Roads and Traffic Agency, gritting ahead of time would have served no purpose, as temperatures at the critical time were above zero, and any salt would have been washed away by the first melting snow. Once the ground layer froze, spokesperson Ilse Luypaerts said, it was too late.

Both the Thalys and Eurostar services were disrupted, with several trains blocked between Brussels and Paris. Brussels Airport, on the other hand, was functioning normally after crews worked through the night to clear runways.

Getting to the airport on the train, however, was a stressful situation for many travellers. The rail authority NMBS came in for strong criticism, as hundreds of commuters were stranded at stations without any information on when – or if – trains would arrive. “Leaving customers to their own devices is simply not acceptable,” said Jean-Pascal Labille, federal minister for government enterprises. “I intend to make sure the necessary lessons are learned from this and that the necessary improvements are made.”