Belgian Railways - no more ticket sales on board

[johncrossley]

Belgian railways are scrapping on board ticket sales from July. I'm actually surprised they still do them.

They will still do them on international routes.

https://www.belgiantrain.be/en/news/end-of-on-board-fare

Starting 1 July 2026, SNCB-NMBS will phase out on-board ticket sales via the train manager. This decision aims to reinforce a key rule: every passenger must have a valid ticket before boarding the train (and be able to show it during ticket inspection).

On‑board ticket sales frequently led to disagreements, and at times even aggression, during inspections. Eliminating this source of conflict helps SNCB-NMBS make the rules clearer and better protect its employees.

This shift lets train managers refocus on what matters most: ensure safety, guide passengers and provide the right assistance throughout their trip.

A direct impact on fare evasion​

With estimated losses reaching tens of millions annually, fare evasion is no small issue. By ending on‑board ticket sales, SNCB-NMBS discourages passengers from waiting to buy a ticket until an inspection is taking place.

This move aligns Belgium with standard practice across Europe, where on‑board purchases are no longer allowed.

Where will this change apply?​

The end of on‑board sales applies to all trains running in Belgium and most cross‑border connections.
Exceptions remain for a few long‑standing international routes: Eurocity, Eurocity Direct, Ouigo, TGV, and the trains connecting Kortrijk or Tournai with Lille.

Where can you buy a ticket?​

Buying a ticket has never been easier: today, over 90% of all tickets are purchased via our digital channels (website and app) or ticket vending machines.

 

[158801]

So what happens if I get on in Leuven, travelling to Liege and don't have a ticket ?

 

[Amalie]

So what happens if I get on in Leuven, travelling to Liege and don't have a ticket ?

presumably, you’d be fined an amount significantly more than the equivalent ticket price would have been and potentially be forced to get off whatever the next stop is.

The end of on‑board sales applies to all trains running in Belgium and most cross‑border connections.
Exceptions remain for a few long‑standing international routes: Eurocity, Eurocity Direct, Ouigo, TGV, and the trains connecting Kortrijk or Tournai with Lille.

It sounds like that there almost more international/cross-border routes where you can buy a ticket on board than ones where you cannot.

 

[mmh]

"This move aligns Belgium with standard practice across Europe, where on‑board purchases are no longer allowed."

Well there's a big fib.

 

[johncrossley]

The fine for not having a ticket is EUR 90. An "administrative fine" of EUR 250 follows if you don't pay within 14 days.

Vanaf 1 juli kun je geen treinticket meer kopen op de trein: "Belangrijke oorzaak van agressie" | VRT NWS Nieuws

Wie na 1 juli de trein neemt, kan geen gebruik meer maken van het zogenaamde 'boordtarief'. De NMBS wil op die manier zwartrijden tegengaan, maar wil ook het aantal conflicten over de tickets terugdringen. "Het zijn die tickets die voor discussie zorgen met treinbegeleiders."...

www.vrt.be

Wie geen ticket heeft, riskeert een boete van 90 euro. Betaal je die niet binnen de 14 dagen, dan volgt een administratieve boete van 250 euro.

 

[AlterEgo]

Proof again that railways prefer to design out conflict.

Are there any stations in Belgium where there is no ticket office or machine?

 

[rvdborgt]

Are there any stations in Belgium where there is no ticket office or machine?

Yes, there are still a few.

 

[MarcVD]

Yes, there are still a few.

There are still some stations with a ticket office. Not that much, though. Sometimes only open for the morning shift, and not on Sundays or weekends. All stations are however supposedly having at least one ticket machine. But some station have had their machine repeatedly vandalized and SNCB decided not to repair them.

If you boarded from such a station, you will get from the train guard an invitation to pay your fare, with no additional fine, within the next 14 days. You can do so at any ticket office, any ticket machine, or on the web. Same if you boarded from a station where the ticket machine was out of order. Train staff are informed about ticket machine status in real time. There are still some grey cases, like ticket machines whose screen has been sprayed with paint. Those are not necessarily reported as out of order, but are nevertheless unusable. But taking a picture of the disabled machine will usually be enough to rest your case.

If you boarded without a valid ticket from a station where purchasing a ticket was technically possible, then you'll be fined 90 Euros in addition to the normal fare. You are supposed to come early enough to the station to purchase your ticket before boarding. So excuses like "there was a queue in the machine" won't fly. Same paying conditions as above.

You can of course purchase your tickets on line from the SNCB web site or on the SNCB app. Tickets purchased on the web site can either be printed or loaded on your identity card, so you don't even have the excuse that your printer was out of ink or paper. If you purchased from the app, the ticket is stored locally in your phone so you don't need internet connectivity at the time you are controlled.

But in any case, guards on domestic trains won't carry any cash or payment system anymore.

 

[johncrossley]

Are SNCB/NMBS train managers/guards happy about this change? They may get some abuse at the moment for charging the EUR 9 on train supplement, but if they are supposed to implement a EUR 90 fine, that's got more potential for violence. On British trains, penalty fares are normally issued by specially trained inspectors who typically work in pairs or bigger groups for safety.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 8 Jun 2026 ==

Even RDG have something about this on their website

Changes to buying tickets on SNCB trains in Belgium

This page contains our important messages, most recent first. Smart-enabled status passes - now working smartly! July 2016 Abellio Greater Anglia is the first

www.raildeliverygroup.com

From 1 July 2026 it will no longer be possible to purchase any tickets, including FIP discounted tickets, on board any SNCB train in Belgium. All passengers must be in possession of a valid ticket before boarding any train.

If your journey starts at a station with no open ticket office, then the only option is to purchase a public rate fare from the ticket vending machine. In these circumstances it will not be possible to claim a refund for the difference between the public fare and the FIP discounted fare.

 

[Amalie]

Are SNCB/NMBS train managers/guards happy about this change? They may get some abuse at the moment for charging the EUR 9 on train supplement, but if they are supposed to implement a EUR 90 fine, that's got more potential for violence. On British trains, penalty fares are normally issued by specially trained inspectors who typically work in pairs or bigger groups for safety.

I remember a few years back seeing a quite shocking full sized advertisement at Antwerpen-Centraal of a sad, almost shell-shocked, looking SNCB conductor with the tagline (translated) “please don’t throw bottles at me, I was only doing my job.”

I also have the impression that their conductors are quite hardy. I witnessed on a train from Liège to Maastricht a conductor immediately spot some fiends trying to hide in the toilet to avoid paying fares (and thus kicking them out,) and at one station positioning himself right at the door, blocking it to avoid a guy who he assumed didn’t want to pay get in with a loud and assertive “non”.

 

[Segedunum]

I remember a few years back seeing a quite shocking full sized advertisement at Antwerpen-Centraal of a sad, almost shell-shocked, looking SNCB conductor with the tagline (translated) “please don’t throw bottles at me, I was only doing my job.”

I also have the impression that their conductors are quite hardy. I witnessed on a train from Liège to Maastricht a conductor immediately spot some fiends trying to hide in the toilet to avoid paying fares (and thus kicking them out,) and at one station positioning himself right at the door, blocking it to avoid a guy who he assumed didn’t want to pay get in with a loud and assertive “non”.

I still can't forget the instance a good few years back of a very smug man getting on an Aachen-Spa stopping service without money or ticket. When asked for a ticket he simply smirked.

The young female conductor gestured him to the vestibule at the next stop and shoved him out. The way he didn't challenge that and left the station immediately (and her skipping straight to that) suggested this was a regular occurrence.