Belgian rail network now fully fitted with ‘cruise control for trains’

All main railway lines in Belgium are now equipped with ETCS, a safety system often described as cruise control for trains. The system constantly checks a train’s speed and automatically intervenes if it goes too fast.

The European Train Control System has been rolled out over the past 10 years and cost around 2.8 billion euros. It now covers all main lines, a total of 6,399km. Rail infrastructure manager Infrabel installed more than 48,000 track beacons and upgraded over 11,000 signals.

ETCS only works if trains are also fitted with the system. Passenger train operator SNCB says its entire fleet will be equipped by the end of this year. From the end of 2027, only ETCS-equipped trains will be allowed to run in Belgium.

The rollout was accelerated after the 2010 Buizingen train crash, in which 19 people died. Since then, rail safety has improved. In 2024, 51 trains passed a red signal, half as many as in 2010. Dangerous incidents of this kind fell from 51 to 14.

Belgium is now the second country in Europe, after Luxembourg, to fully equip its rail network with ETCS. Officials say the system makes the network safer and strengthens Belgium’s position as one of Europe’s best-equipped rail systems.

^{© BELGA PHOTO DIRK WAEM}

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