Removing graffiti sprayed on trains cost national railway company SNCB around €6.15 million last year, around €800,000 more than in 2019.
When asked about the cost in parliament, Federal Mobility Minister Georges Gilkinet added that the 'security operations centre' of the SNCB received 101 calls with regards to graffiti on trains.
"The cost depends not only on the surface, but also on the type of paint used and how long the graffiti has been there," Bart Crols, spokesperson for SNCB, told The Brussels Times.
"It is therefore important to remove the graffiti as soon as possible, if only because those trains cannot be used for passenger transport at that time," he explained.
SNCB carries out a thorough inspection and monitoring of the places where the trains are stocked, and offenders who are caught red-handed will be prosecuted.
Meanwhile, 147 calls were received regarding acts of vandalism on trains, and in total, fixing acts of vandalism cost around €1.12 million.
In total, just under 250 calls were received, similar to in previous years, however, the cost of removing the graffiti has continued to increase slightly in previous years, from around €5.34 million last year and around €4.2 million in 2018.
The Brussels Times
