Last month rail punctuality reached its lowest level in four years. The latest figures from rail track operator Infrabel show that only 85% of rail journeys arrived “on time”.
For Infrabel arriving “on time” means the journey didn’t have a delay in excess of 6 minutes. Delays are never satisfactory as Belgian commuters have learned to their expense, especially if they need to catch a connecting service: every minute counts!
In recent weeks TramTreinBus (TrainTramBus), the organisation that defends the interests of passengers on public transport, has been inundated by complaints. Trains pull up with fewer carriages than normal. This means carriages are full to overflowing. Passengers struggle to find a seat. The unions explain that a shortage of staff in workshops is often the reason for shorter trains. But there are other delays too: delays in the supply of parts and the delivery of new trains.
According to rail journalist Herman Welter Belgian rolling stock is antiquated. “The average Belgian rolling stock is 40 years old. This is “old” to “very old” by international standards. It’s the result of a constant lack of investments in trains and infrastructure”.
“New rolling stock isn’t always the best answer” says Welter. “The latest trains are crammed with electronics. The minute something goes wrong, the train will grind to a halt. It’s bad news for passengers who continue to suffer”.
Welter identifies mobility minister Gilkinet(Francophone green) as the first mobility minister with vision and ambition for rail but adds he didn’t get the cash to press ahead quickly: “Our backlog in infrastructure maintenance and modernisation is so great, I fear we won’t be able to tackle it unless there are massive investments”.
Next week strike action on the railways will lead to disruption from Monday night till Thursday.