{"id":153339,"date":"2023-08-01T06:21:32","date_gmt":"2023-08-01T04:21:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.voyages-d-affaires.com\/?p=153339"},"modified":"2025-02-21T12:14:00","modified_gmt":"2025-02-21T11:14:00","slug":"2026-sncb-plan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.voyages-d-affaires.com\/en\/2026-sncb-plan","title":{"rendered":"More than 2,000 extra trains per week by 2026 for SNCB"},"content":{"rendered":"

The new SNCB<\/strong> <\/a>wants to stimulate train travel in Belgium with a target of 30% more passengers by 2032<\/strong>. With this plan, the Belgian railway company aims to achieve an annual production of 89.5 million train-km by 2026<\/strong>an increase of 7,4%<\/strong> compared with the current service. This is a huge leap forward compared with the previous plan, which saw service increase by 2.8%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More trains on weekdays and weekends<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

By 2026, the aim is to more than 2,000 additional trains per week<\/strong>. The improvements to the offer will take place in four phases <\/strong>December 2023, December 2024, June 2025 and December 2025. The success of the plan will largely depend on the recruitment of new staff and the delivery schedule for Alstom's new rolling stock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The gradual renewal of the trains will offer passengers greater comfort, with 10,000 extra seats and improved accessibility for disabled passengers. 80% of the new carriages will also have air conditioning (compared with 65% today). As part of this plan, the ETCS system will be fitted to 100% of the trains on the SNCB<\/a>. This system constantly monitors train speed, guaranteeing a very high level of safety and improved punctuality. The introduction of these additional trains will result in a improved rail services at more than half of the network's stations<\/strong> (280).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The plan covers developing the offer around major cities<\/strong> such as Brussels, Antwerp and Li\u00e8ge, with more frequent suburban trains, and on theimproved connections between major cities at weekends<\/strong>. For example, there will be 2 IC trains per hour at weekends between Brussels and Charleroi, Brussels and Mons, Brussels - Louvain and Li\u00e8ge, Courtrai and Bruges, and Antwerp and Louvain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nearly 50 suburban trains<\/strong> will circulate later on Friday and Saturday evenings, including 30 trains until after 1am<\/strong> from Brussels and Antwerp to various cities. The transport plan also calls for higher and more stable frequencies throughout the year, so that the same service can be offered during the school holidays, particularly on the Brussels suburban network.<\/p>\n\n\n\n