Railways heading for record number of cancelled trains in 2025
The number of trains cancelled in Belgium in the first half of the year is remarkably high, an analysis by Belga based on figures from network operator Infrabel shows. On average, 4,070 trains were cancelled each month. Belgian railway company SNCB/NMBS points to the problem of outdated trains as a major cause.
In February this year, 5,006 passenger trains were cancelled. The last time the 5,000 cancellation mark was exceeded was in December 2022, when 5,665 scheduled trains did not run.
This appears to be no exception. An analysis of Infrabel figures shows that the number of cancelled trains was very high in the first half of this year. On average, 4,070 trains were cancelled each month from January to June. In the same period in 2023, the previous record year, 4,016 journeys a month were cancelled. At the current rate, a new record will be set in 2025.
Moreover, the statistics do not take into account the many strike days in recent months, said Groen MP Staf Aerts. On those days, a minimum service is provided, but trains that are not running are not counted as cancelled.
“The actual number of days on which the service was not fully operational is therefore even higher than the figures suggest,” Aerts told VRT NWS. “We have to be honest: passengers can rely increasingly less on a punctual and reliable rail service.”
Outdated trains
“We are aware that this causes inconvenience to train passengers,” SNCB spokesperson Dimitri Temmerman told VRT NWS. He gave a number of explanations. “There is the structure of the rail network, which makes that in many places there is sometimes only one track available, there are incidents involving third parties and there are also technical problems with our trains.”
He acknowledged that many trains are outdated. “This shows that new trains are urgently needed.”
Illustration © PHOTO ARTERRA
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