The Belgian Chamber’s Mobility Committee has unanimously approved a resolution by Vooruit to allow free bike use on trains. Whether this will ever actually happen, however, remains to be seen.

A resolution is not legally binding. For the resolution to take effect, the government would need to amend the management contract with NMBS/SNCB.

In an initial response, the public railway company has reacted rather lukewarmly to the resolution. “Bicycle organizations have not requested this, and there are increasingly more shared bicycles available at stations.”

Increased train ridership

“With this proposal, we really want to encourage people to leave their cars at home and choose to ride a bike and take the train. By allowing bicycles on trains for free, we’re making it easier and cheaper,” said Vooruit parliamentary group leader Oskar Seuntjes.

He included these recommendations in a resolution submitted to the government, which the Parliamentary Committee on Mobility subsequently approved – Vlaams Belang abstained from the vote; all other parties voted in favor.

According to Seuntjes, many more people would combine train and bicycle travel if conditions improved. For instance, secure bicycle parking facilities must be provided at stations, the surcharge for bicycles on trains must be eliminated, and more space must be allocated in train cars to accommodate bicycles.

In addition, he advocated introducing a combined ticket valid for trains, trams, and buses, as well as bicycle repair stations at train stations.

Currently €3 to €5 additional

Anyone who wants to bring a bicycle on the train currently pays 3 euros during off-peak hours and on weekends, and 5 euros during rush hour. According to NMBS/SNCB, more than 550,000 passengers brought their bicycles on trains in 2025, a 14% increase from 2024.

Over the past 15 years, the number of train tickets has seen impressive growth – from roughly 125,000 in 2009 to more than half a million last year – but this also highlights the capacity issue: if bikes become free, demand could surge again, while available space is limited.

The new NMBS/SNCB trains have a minimum of 8 bicycle spaces, and if you want to expand that capacity, you’ll need more or larger bicycle cars per train, or cars that can be configured more flexibly.

Running more trains on popular cycling routes, such as the coast or the Ardennes, is one solution, as is ordering new cars. But the latter takes 5 to 10 years from order to commissioning, and rolling stock is expensive. Moreover, NMBS/SNCB, already under financial pressure, would lose at least €1.65 million in revenue if bicycles were allowed on trains free of charge.

“Trains will become very crowded.”

In a response, NMBS/SNCB spokesperson Dimitri Temmerman points out that bike tickets became cheaper during off-peak hours in October and that folding bikes – just like e-scooters, for that matter – can already be taken on trains for free.

“We must consider the risk that trains will become very crowded. We’ve also heard from bicycle organizations that they aren’t asking for this,” Temmerman says. He also noted that more shared bicycles are becoming available at stations.

In any case, the goal is to increase the number of bicycle parking spaces by at least 50% by 2032 compared to 2022, as stipulated in the public service contract – a target that is already largely being met through the M7 expansion, without the need for new orders.

As for bicycle parking facilities, by the end of 202,5 there were 131,000 spaces at NMBS/SNCB stations, compared to 124,000 in 2022. “By 2032, we want to expand this to 164,000 spaces,” says Temmerman.

The bicycle parking facilities at the stations will also be renovated, covered, and equipped with video surveillance. There will also be more enclosed parking areas with access control.

Access to platforms remains problematic

Last year, the European Cyclists’ Federation (ECF) named NMBS/SNCB, alongside the Swiss railway company SBB, as the most bicycle-friendly railway company in Europe. But that does not mean that the Belgian cyclists’ organizations Fietsbond and Avello no longer see obstacles to optimally combining cycling and train travel.

For instance, they point out that access to platforms remains problematic at many stations due to the lack of, for example, a bicycle ramp (e-bikes can be heavy). Furthermore, in the southern part of the country, there are only 4 stations (Namur, Mons, Liège, and Wavre) where travelers can use the Blue Bike service.

According to EU rules, train companies must provide at least 4 bicycle spaces per train. The rule applies when new trains are purchased or old trains are thoroughly refurbished.

According to the ECF, that minimum is a good start, but clearly too low, and high-speed trains often fall short. On popular routes, 10 to 20 bicycles per train are not uncommon. And about 10 of the 67 railway companies analyzed by the ECF in the Cyclists Love Train 2025 report allow free bicycle transport.