SNCB to stop selling tickets on board from July

Every passenger must have a valid ticket before boarding a train from 1 July, under a new rule aimed at improving safety for staff at Belgian railway company SNCB.

Currently, if a passenger is caught riding without a ticket they are permitted to purchase one on board, subject to a surcharge of €9.

But SNCB said that these confrontations during ticket inspections often endanger their staff, with disputes over a lack of ticket being the number one cause of assaults.

“In 2025, 2,602 cases of assault against SNCB staff were recorded, compared with 2,103 the previous year,” the railway operator said.

“More than four in 10 assaults last year involved physical violence.

"With the end of on-board ticket sales, train attendants will be able to focus on their core duties: ensuring journeys take place in the safest possible conditions and providing information, carrying out ticket inspections and assisting passengers."

Passengers caught without a valid ticket will be fined €90, which SNCB hopes will increase passengers’ accountability and limit fare evasion.

“When a person boards the train without a valid ticket and is checked, they will receive a notice to regularise their status,” a spokesperson explained.

“Using the QR code they receive, they must visit a ticket office or the SNCB website within 14 days to regularise their situation.

"This means presenting a ticket that was valid at the time of the inspection, for example a season ticket, or if their mobile phone has run out of battery, proof that a ticket had been purchased.

"If this is not the case, they will have to pay €90.”

After this two-week period, the fare evader faces fines of €250, and up to €500 in the event of a repeat offence.

SNCB said it was aligning itself with most other European countries where it is no longer possible to buy a ticket on the train, and that the shift makes the system simpler and clearer for passengers by encouraging advance purchase via the usual channels (app, website or ticket machines).

Currently, an estimated 7% of SNCB’s passengers do not present a valid ticket when checked.

On-board sales accounted for just 1.5% of total sales last year.

Walloon commuters' association Navetteurs.be has condemned the change, calling it "scandalous".

It said some rural rail stations did not have functioning ticket machines and the move could penalise people without access to a smartphone or with reduced mobility.