Never have travelers in Belgium filed so many complaints about canceled or late trains. That was reported by the newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws. Ombudsrail, the ombudsperson service for train passengers, already received a third more complaints from dissatisfied passengers in 2023 than last year, a record number. There are many more complaints. After all, travelers only turn to the ombudsman’s service if they can’t work it out with NMBS/SNCB.

That reports about canceled or reduced trains are increasing is not surprising. The punctuality rate at NMBS/SCNB fell to 85,5% in October, and the number of canceled trains has already reached a record of more than 37 000 this year.

The railway company itself also acknowledges the problems and says things must improve. NMBS/SNCB refers to delayed delivery of the new M7 trains and the overcrowded rail network. Staff are being recruited en masse, and the NMBS/SNCB wants to solve equipment problems faster.

Strikes again imminent

However, according to the new management agreement signed by NMBS/SNCB with the federal government, the railway company has to increase its train offer by 10% from December, with more late-night trains on Fridays and Saturdays and a more extensive offer on weekends, together accounting for some 2 000 extra trains per week to attract 30% more passengers by 2032.

But as long as staff shortages are not eliminated, or repairs cannot be carried out on time, this passed roll-out of the NMBS/SNCB’s “most ambitious plan ever” will also come under pressure.

There will be another strike on 5 and 6 December: the 48-hour strike comes against management’s plans to halve the start-up time of the train attendants to 10 minutes. More generally, the unions want “the cessation of productivity increases to the detriment of railway staff”.

In 2024, NMBS/SNCB’s debt threatens to exceed 3 billion euros, well above the imposed debt ceiling that has now been raised to 2,56 billion euros.

Free drinking water

For many passengers facing poor service from NMBS/SNCB, it may be a drop in the ocean, but by the end of next year, the railway company will offer free drinking water in about 100 stations. NMBS/SNCB has installed water taps in six stations where passengers can fill their drinking canisters with filtered tap water for free.

This is the case in Bruges, Brussels-Luxembourg, Ghent-Sint-Peters, Courtrai, Ostend, and Liège-Guillemins. In the coming weeks, the Charleroi-Central and Ottignies stations will also follow. Eventually, 80% of all train passengers will have access to free drinking water. With the initiative, NMBS/SNCB says it wants to contribute to reducing the plastic waste mountain.