Commuters contacted Ombudsrail, the mediation service for rail passengers, 4,154 times in 2024, with the overall number of complaints about the new rail service timetable having doubled.
Complaints against SNCB/NMBS increased by 7.6% compared to the previous year, with a peak at the beginning of the year. The ombudsperson’s annual report, published on Tuesday, highlights the structural issues in Belgian rail, including delays, complaint handling, and accessibility.
Most cases were about domestic travel (67.3%), whereas nearly two out of three complaints in 2022 concerned international transport. Seven out of ten complaints were lodged in Dutch.
There was an increase in complaints related to delays and missed connections, particularly on the Brussels-Termonde line. There was dissatisfaction with the new transport service, with the second of four phases implemented on 15 December 2024.
Complaints about the new schedule doubled in 2024, with commuters reporting longer journey times and less efficient connections in some regions.
People by a train in Brussels-Midi station. Credit: Belga / Nicolas Maeterlinck
Ombudsrail also highlighted the issue of administrative fines intended to penalise clear infringements, such as travelling without a ticket or not following safety rules, but they are also imposed "in more ambiguous situations," the ombudsperson noted.
The report points out the difficulty for people with reduced mobility to access trains, both in terms of assistance and infrastructure.
"Our priority is to contribute to a more customer-oriented, accessible, and efficient rail service," said ombudsman Jean-Marc Jeanfils. The rail mediator made several concrete recommendations to rail companies and policymakers, including facilitating access to out-of-court dispute resolution.
Unreturned jewellery
One of the complaints handled last year by Ombudsrail was unusual. Two travellers who lost a bag containing passports, driving licences, and jewellery on a train have not had their jewellery returned.
Instead, the railway company donated the items to a charity, despite knowing the travellers' identities.
In the case of the two Surinamese travellers who lost a bag of jewellery, their report at Brussels-North station could not be linked to the discovery at Brussels-Midi station due to differing descriptions: one was described as a silver backpack, the other as grey.
After fifty days, SNCB/NMBS closed the case, sending the documents to the embassy and the rest to charity. "The owners were never contacted, despite their identity being known," states Ombudsrail's 2024 annual report.
The ombudsman believes the Belgian railway operator should make "reasonable efforts" to return lost items, which means actively locating owners rather than blindly following procedures.
Ombudsrail was contacted 4,154 times last year, a 7.6% increase from 2023. This resulted in 1,089 cases being opened, accounting for 2,334 complaints, as one case can include multiple complaints. Including older complaints, a total of slightly more than 3,400 were handled.
Two-thirds of these complaints concerned national train services. Ombudsrail continues to address the issue of administrative fines.
"These are meant as penalties for clear violations, such as not adhering to safety regulations or travelling without a valid ticket," it states. "In practice, however, we see fines being imposed in questionable situations."
