SNCB plans to attract more first-class passengers

Wi-fi, plug sockets and extra leg room are among the SNCB's plans to make first class rail travel more attractive, after a growing number of businesses - and even the Belgian government - stopped staff from using the upgraded service.

The Belgian rail operator's outgoing chief executive Jo Cornu said there were no plans to scrap the two-tier system, despite first-class seat occupancy rates averaging just 18%.

He told De Morgen that companies today were less inclined to allow first-class travel, and that the difference in comfort compared with second class was negligible.

However, an SNCB spokesperson said first class remains popular on some rush-hour commuter routes, where travellers appreciate a guaranteed seat and a quiet working environment.

As well as electricity and internet access, the SNCB plans for more leg room and acoustic panelling between seats to minimise noise from other passengers.

The plans come just a day after news emerged that Belgian federal minister Steven Vandeput had issued a blanket ban on first-class rail travel for all civil servants.

Until now, government workers with a university degree were allowed to travel first class - a rule that has been in place since the 1960s.