Securail and the Federal Railway Police in action on trains and in stations

Securail and the Federal Railway Police are carrying out operations in several stations and on several lines across the country: in the run-up to the summer, the SNCB security service and the Railway Police are working together to increase their visibility on the railways in order to ensure the safety of passengers and staff in stations and on trains, as well as to carry out ticket checks before boarding trains.

Every day, Securail carries out a large number of operations to ensure that railway regulations are respected and to combat incivilities. The aim is to ensure the safety of both passengers and SNCB staff, thereby contributing to a respectful atmosphere in stations and on trains.

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The Federal Railway Police (SPC), which supports Securail in the fight against insecurity phenomena such as pickpocketing, damage, framing of major events, theft of cables or intrusions on the tracks, also organises, in close collaboration with Securail, targeted visibility actions on very busy lines or during busy periods.

This year, the collaboration between Securail and the SPC has been strengthened: 40% more joint checks were carried out between January and today compared with the same period last year.

More frequent checks of tickets before boarding

Since last year, Securail has been carrying out random ticket checks at stations, before passengers board trains.

These checks are now part of the remit of the security teams. They are carried out before passengers board the train: the security teams take up position before they reach the platform and check passengers' tickets. If passengers do not have a valid ticket, they are redirected to the various sales channels (ticket machines, mobile application, ticket offices, website). These checks can take place at any station and at any time.

Their purpose is to remind passengers that they must have a valid ticket before boarding the train and to keep agitated discussions about tickets, which are the main cause of attacks on SNCB staff, off the train.

These ticket checks have been stepped up this year: every day, an average of 80 ticket checks are carried out in stations by the SNCB's security service. In 2023, Securail will have carried out no fewer than 12,500 checks before passengers board 31,000 replacement trains and buses.

As a reminder, in 2022, the SNCB recorded 1,900 cases of aggression against its staff, an average of 5 per day, with 4 cases out of 10 degenerating into physical violence. Since the beginning of 2023, SNCB has recorded a further 1,018 assaults, a third more than in the same period last year, when there were already 769 cases. This figure is of great concern to the railway company, even though the upward trend seems to have slowed in recent months.

The SNCB strongly condemns these intolerable attacks and calls for respect. A sufficient and visible police presence is essential to support Securail's action. With the summer holidays approaching and the large flow of passengers, the SPC, in collaboration with its partners, will continue to carry out actions of this type and to raise commuters' awareness of the need for vigilance in the railway environment.