Although the number of contacts remained stable at 4,111, the number of admissible cases received last year by Ombudsrail service for passengers of the Belgian public railway company NMBS/SNCB, rose by as much as 28%, to 1,396 new cases.

This is the sharpest increase in years and points to persistent, structural problems within the railways. Notably, nearly 70% of the complaints were filed in Dutch, compared to 25% in French.

Not always very customer-friendly

From a purely mathematical standpoint – 4,111 complaints out of approximately 245 million passengers – this is a drop in the bucket. But the ombudsman’s figures are indeed an indicator of the deep dissatisfaction travelers experience after filing an official complaint with the NMBS/SNCB.

And the massive jump in complaints over the course of a year does indeed suggest that the NMBS/SNCB’s internal complaint-handling system can no longer cope with the volume or that the nature of the problems is leading to legal disputes much more frequently.

Poor after-sales service

In fact, poor post-sale complaint handling by NMBS/SNCB itself ranks among the top 3 complaints nationwide (39.9%). Passengers did not receive a timely response or any response at all, were unable to reach the railway company, or felt they were being passed from pillar to post.

In second place in terms of the highest number of complaints are issues related to administrative fines and on-board fares (32.1%).  Cancellations, disruptions, or delays in train service, inadequate information, and capacity issues – or operational aspects – accounted for 20.2%.

Furthermore, passengers also complained about overcrowded trains, trains skipping stops (to make up for lost time), and limited accessibility of stations and trains for people with reduced mobility.

When it comes to international train travel, travelers often face complex situations involving different carriers, ticket sellers, and booking systems – a situation Europe is seeking to eliminate. Especially when a connection is missed or a train is canceled, travelers find it difficult to enforce their rights.

The eBox trap

Furthermore, the ombudsman’s office strongly criticizes the system of administrative fines. Many travelers receive fines via the eBox without realizing they gave permission for this or without being notified. The fines escalate to the point of bailiff enforcement before the traveler even realizes they exist.

The NMBS/SNCB also refuses to offer payment plans for fines, which only become available once a bailiff has been involved, by which point the costs are already significantly higher. The ombudsman calls this illogical and unfair.

Frustrations about the new timetable

Ombudsrail also notes that trains are consistently too short due to a shortage of reserve rolling stock, particularly on the routes to Brussels. The new timetable introduced in December 2024 also caused significant frustration.

For example, the elimination of the direct Waasland-Brussels connections forces passengers in Dendermonde to make a difficult transfer through a tunnel that is too narrow.

And international trains, such as those to Amsterdam, are taking over ‘train paths’ from domestic trains, resulting in a reduction in service between Antwerp and Brussels. The ombudsman demands that these trains be made available to domestic travelers as well.

Discrimination against people with disabilities

NMBS/SNCB also canceled assistance for people with disabilities during strikes, a move deemed discriminatory by the ombudsman’s office and Unia, the institute for equal opportunities.

Another major disappointment is that the promised ‘Silent Alarm’, a system for reporting safety concerns via WhatsApp or SMS, has been shelved by NMBS/SNCB because its internal systems are too complex.

Finally, in October 2025, the NMBS/SNC implemented a major fare reform. Although the NMBS/SNCB claims it is simpler, the ombudsman’s office notes that older people, especially, are struggling with the elimination of the fixed-price Senior Ticket and the complex off-peak fare calculation. The abolition of the ‘Large Families’ ticket is also meeting with significant resistance.

Passenger back at the center

“Every complaint tells us something valuable about today’s train travel and helps us work toward tomorrow’s train travel,” says ombudsman Cynthia Van der Linden regarding the complaints. “We ask railway companies to put the passenger back at the center, with transparent communication, realistic schedules, and fair treatment.”

Ombudsrail calls on policymakers to “create a clear and forward-looking regulatory framework that strengthens passengers’ rights, makes digital communication more reliable, and gives out-of-court dispute resolution the full scope to operate efficiently.”

Response from NMBS/SNCB

In a response, the NMBS/SNCB puts the record number of complaints into perspective by noting that passengers are increasingly able to find the ombudsman service, thanks in part to greater visibility, and that the barrier to filing digital complaints has lowered.

They have also strengthened their own customer service, which, paradoxically, can lead to more ‘formal’ complaints when people do not get their way immediately.

NMBS/SNCB also points out that 2025 was a year of major infrastructure projects and that these projects depend on the quality of the rail network. They emphasize that many delays are beyond their direct control, such as copper thefts or incidents involving third parties.

The NMBS/SNCB also states that the eBox is an official and legal government channel and that it is the citizen’s responsibility to consult it. They indicate a willingness to investigate how they can better train their staff on the ‘human factor’ in the initial phase of an inspection, but they reject a general relaxation of fines to avoid ‘reward fraud’.

Furthermore, they promise improvements for persons with reduced mobility and information. For instance, they refer to the Accessibility Master Plan 2023-2032, and the delivery of new M7 trains in 2026 will make assistance easier.

The NMBS/SNCB also admits that the information provided in the app during major disruptions in 2025 was not always accurate and that work is underway to improve the integration between the screens, in the station, and the data in the app.