Train passengers wishing to buy a ticket on board the train will now only be able to do so using electronic means of payment like bank cards. Train conductors will no longer accept cash.
The Belgian rail company says the measure fits into "a broad social trend towards digitalisation and electronic payment". Spokesman Bart Crols points to other public transport companies like De Lijn in Flanders and the MIVB in Brussels that for some time now have banished cash on board vehicles.
The measure should also improve safety for train conductors, as they will no longer have to carry cash in their pockets. According to Belgian Rail fewer than 2 per cent of tickets are bought on the trains. Cash payments remain possible at ticket offices and vending machines.