Brussels metro traffic ground to a halt for 95 hours last year in response to 421 instances of rail trespassers. The problem is getting worse, says MIVB
Brussels transit service MIVB recorded 421 instances of people crossing or walking on metro tracks in 2024. It’s a 10.5% increase on the year before and a whopping 43% increase on 2021.
“A metro train can reach a speed of 72 kilometers per hour in a tunnel and is going 40 per hour when it enters a station,” says Guy Sablon of MIVB. “It’s an illusion to think that you have time to climb back up on the platform when you catch sight of the metro.”
95 lost hours
These “rail trespassers” brought various metro lines to a halt for 95 total hours last year. Sablon points out that the third rail – the rail that provides electricty to the metro cars – is just as dangerous to walk on as the actual carriage rails. The third rail carries 900 volts. “Anyone who ventures onto metro tracks risks fatal electrocution,” says Sablon.
Passengers who drop something on the metro tracks are advised to ask personnel in the station for help or to use the SOS phone on the platform. MIVB will send someone to safely retrieve the item. Finally, the MIVB begs us all to remain behind the yellow line as a metro car approaches.