Awareness raising campaign against rail trespassing

Belgium’s federal railway police held a national day of action on Friday against people who illegally cross railway tracks.

There are a number of level crossings in Belgium where train tracks intersect with streets, posing a potential danger to pedestrians in particular.

There were 649 reports last year of people walking on, next to or over train tracks when prohibited.

That number had previously been going down from a peak of more than 800 in 2017, with less reports each year until 2022 when the number increased by 10% over the previous year.

Six people were killed as a result of their illegal presence on the tracks last year, compared to five people in 2021.

In cooperation with railway network manager Infrabel and participating local police zones, the day of action against the dangerous change of trend included additional checks at various locations, both in stations and at level crossings.

The aim was to make people more aware of the dangers of track walking, with a primary focus on young people.

The federal highway police stressed that entering or crossing railway tracks in places where it is not allowed can lead to fines that can amount to several thousand euros.