Doubling number of complaints to Belgian Ombudsrail

Ombudsrail, the Belgian ombudsman service for rail passengers, was contacted 4,154 times last year, up 7.6% from 2023. On that basis, 1,089 files were opened, accounting for 2,344 complaints – one file can contain several complaints. Seven out of ten complaints in this regard were filed in Dutch.

Together with even older complaints, just over 3,400 complaints were handled. Two out of every three complaints were still about international traffic.

More complaints about timetables

Remarkably, Ombudsrail says the number of complaints about the timetable doubled. Train passengers complain of delays and missed connections, problems that the ombudsman service says are “structural” on lines such as Dendermonde-Brussels and Hamont/Neerpelt-Brussels.

In addition, there are longer travel times and worse connections after introducing new timetables, with a sharp increase in complaints after the changes were introduced. Or trains just skipping stops to make up for delays, a fact that NMBS/SNCB did as many as 904 times in 2024.

Another punishing example of the new timetable is track capacity, which has been adjusted in favor of Eurostar. For the fast Eurocity Direct connection between Brussels and Amsterdam, an IC train connection between Antwerp and Brussels has been abolished.

But “morning after morning, the commuter from platform 23 in Antwerp-Central can both see the nearly empty Eurocity Direct departing and cram into a full IC train, while both are headed for Brussels.”

In addition, the Rail Passenger Advisory Committee was not consulted on such decisions, which is required.

Wrongful use of administrative fines

Ombudsrail also continues to insist on administrative fines. “These are intended as penalties for obvious violations, such as failure to comply with safety regulations or traveling without a valid ticket,” says Ombudsrail. However, in practice, we see that fines are also imposed in questionable situations.”

Moreover, the Ombuds Service is again advocating that its interventions should be suspended from the penalty proceedings so that no bailiff can be used while the Ombudsman Service investigation is ongoing.

Not all travelers are equal

There are also frequent complaints about compensation. Previously, anyone could apply for compensation for repeated delays. Since last year, this has only been possible for subscribers.

However, Ombudsrail says everyone should be entitled to it, even though European and Belgian regulations support NMBS/SNCB in this.

Also notable: NMBS/SNCB refusing to compensate the flight costs of people who are on their way to the airport but miss the flight due to a blockage in a defective train.

Consequently, Ombudsrail believes that the “protection of train passengers in case of missed connections should be harmonized and equivalent to that of the airline industry. This means passengers should be able to rebook for missed connections free of charge, regardless of the rail companies involved.”

Furthermore, the EU should “encourage railroad companies to develop joint ticketing systems, where connections are covered by one contract, even if different operators are involved.”

More customer-friendly and efficient rail transport

Of the 40 opinions Ombudsrail formulated last year, 36 were addressed to NMBS/SNCB, and four were partially followed. The others were rejected.

Finally, the report also highlights the difficulties in making trains accessible to persons with reduced mobility in terms of assistance and infrastructure.

“Our focus remains on more customer-friendly and efficient rail transport,” says Ombudsman Cynthia Van der Linden. “We call on NMBS/SNCB to improve communication, guarantee fair compensation, and provide a reliable service. In addition, we ask the authorities to ensure that passengers have easy access to out-of-court dispute resolution, especially in the case of administrative fines.”

The Ombudsman Service mediates free of charge and can be reached at www.ombudsrail.be.