SNCB has set itself an objective for the year 2032: to increase the number of users by 30%. To achieve this, the railway wants to bet on what already seems to work better, namely the “S” trains, for suburban. There are currently 5 suburban train networks: in Brussels, Charleroi, Liège, Ghent and Antwerp. These trains pass through and stop within the major cities of the country and connect them to smaller surrounding towns.
If on the whole network, the number of travelers increased by 12% between 2015 and 2019, over the same period, the increase is 16% for city networks.
More trains and until later
SNCB therefore wants to bet on strengthening the S lines, a bet that already seems to have been won. Let’s take Brussels and some figures: every day some 700 trains travel the 12 lines up to 30 kilometers around the capital thanks to 144 stations and stops, some of which have appeared in recent years (Germoir, Arcades, Tour et Taxis and Anderlecht).
“Suburban areas are identified by our studies as areas with high growth potential. Previously we thought of the train for journeys between two large cities, so long distances“, explains Elisa Roux, spokesperson for the SNCB. “Today we see that the train is a solution for getting around in and around cities for several reasons. Firstly because road traffic is often congested in large cities but also because there is a large reserve of inhabitants in these cities for whom the train is a good mobility solution.“.
From the observation, the railway company has therefore moved on to the strategy and the transport plan which will be implemented between this year and 2026, “we plan more S trains per hour but we also plan more than 50 additional suburban trains which will run later on Fridays and Saturdays, in the evening.. And among these later trains, around thirty will run following one o’clock in the morning.
