Belgian train drivers banned from using smartphones

The SNCB has imposed a total ban on train drivers using electronic devices, after seeing a surge in the number of trains running red lights.

Last year, 92 trains missed a red signal - 26 more occurrences than in 2014. For the SNCB, it's no coincidence that the number of incidents is increasing simultaneously with the rise in the use of smartphones and tablets.

"Distraction is by far the biggest cause of these signal breaches," the SNCB said in a memo to its 3,800 drivers. "Multimedia technologies are probably the cause. We are therefore forced to strengthen our rules."

The new rules demand that electronic devices be switched off and kept out sight.

Belgium's three other public transport operators, Stib, TEC and De Lijn, believe their current guidelines are sufficient.

“In our rulebook, it is stated that the driver cannot be distracted. The use of the phone and the smartphone is always prohibited,” Stib spokeswoman Cindy Arents told La Dernière Heure.

De Lijn agrees: "Using a mobile phone or other digital display has been forbidden when the driver must give his full attention to the traffic," said spokeswoman Sonja Loos.