Ticket inspectors to step up checks on station platforms
Railway operator SNCB/NMBS is to carry out stricter checks to ensure that people waiting on the platform for a train have a valid ticket. The measure is part of the fight against fare evasion.
Access to the platforms is permitted only to people who have a valid ticket or are accompanying someone with a ticket. The SNCB will be stepping up checks and enforcing this rule more strictly from 1 July.
In some stations, ticket machines are located on the platform and inspectors will take this into account. “But the intention is that you buy a ticket immediately, just as you must go straight to a pay-and-display machine when using paid parking,” a spokesperson said.
The stricter checks coincide with the end of on-board ticket sales. At present, it is still possible to board without a ticket and buy one from the conductor for a surcharge of 9 euros. That option will disappear from 1 July. Currently, only 1 per cent of tickets are bought from the conductor.
Since 2025, SNCB has increased ticket checks by half as it attempts to combat fare evasion. There are also mobile inspection teams dedicated to checking tickets.
Around 7 per cent of passengers are unable to produce a valid ticket when checked. Anyone found in breach of the rules must pay 90 euros within two weeks. Otherwise, a fine of up to 500 euros will be imposed. Anyone who was unable to buy a ticket due to a faulty ticket machine can buy one at the normal price for a period of two weeks.
According to SNCB, fare evasion costs the company up to 80 million euros a year, and disputes with fare evaders are the main cause of aggression towards staff. Last year, the company recorded 2,600 reports of aggression against its staff, an average of seven incidents per day.
Ticket machines at Brussels Central station © PHOTO WERNER LEROOY
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