Brussels-Antwerp trains are overcrowded, says travellers association

Trains on the route between Antwerp and Brussels are sometimes so full that people are left behind on the platforms, according to travellers association TreinTramBus (TTB).

TTB is asking Belgian railway operator SNCB to open the international Eurocity Direct to domestic travellers – something that SNCB said was not on the table.

The number of domestic IC trains on the Antwerp-Brussels line dropped from five to four per hour in December after SNCB lost space on the track to Eurostar international trains, causing “major problems” according to TTB.

“The remaining trains are so full that people are left on the platforms every day,” said the association’s chairman, Peter Meukens.

“SNCB has made no effort to proactively solve this problem, which it created itself. Moreover, even then, rides are cancelled at the last minute or trains are too short.”

Meukens said there was plenty of room for domestic passengers on the Eurocity Direct, an international train that runs between Brussels and Amsterdam. TTB is also calling for P-trains to be added during rush hour and for overcrowded trains to be made longer.

But the SNCB said that the only structural solution is an investment in the rail network.

“This is the only way to expand its capacity and deploy additional trains where necessary,” the company said in its response.

“Now this is not possible because the rail network is saturated in a number of places. However, when the new train offer was being drawn up, we requested train paths for the trains between Antwerp and Brussels from the rail network manager in order to keep all trains, but did not receive them.”

The use of the Eurocity Direct by domestic passengers was looked at, SNCB said, but proved not possible for several reasons.

“The train stops in Brussels only in Brussels-Midi and therefore not in Brussels-Central or Brussels-North, so the options for its domestic use are very limited,” the rail operator said.

“Moreover, it’s an international train, with international train fares. So it is not feasible to enable domestic co-use without additional costs for the traveller.”

TTB said there are also problems in Dendermonde, where the IC connection between the Waasland and Brussels was cut.

Travellers from Sint-Niklaas and Lokeren now have to make extra changes in Dendermonde. But due to delays, travellers do not always make their connections and are then delayed by at least half an hour.

SNCB said it was willing to talk to TTB, adding that it believes the overall expansion of the SNCB's offer will attract new travellers.