Several train passengers have filed a complaint after they were forced to travel standing up on a train after a staff member locked up a wagon in order to store his belongings.

The SNCB/NMBS conductor reportedly appropriated an entire 130-seat wagon on a Brussels to Kortrijk train, removing passengers who were sitting in it already, in order to store his material.

A storage compartment in trains usually allows conductors to store their belongings and material while they make their rounds through the train, but no such compartment was available at the time, according to Bruzz.

As a result, the SCNB has issued an apology to the dozens of passengers were forced to travel standing up on the train, for the part of the journey from Ghent to Kortrijk at near rush-hour.

“There are plenty of other places where a conductor can store his material,” spokesperson Bart Crols told Het Nieuwsblad, adding that travellers must “never be affected” regardless of what practical problems arise during a trip.

Crols said that the SCNB was looking into the incident and that they would be seeking to speak to the conductor in question in order to “remind him of the guidelines.”

“What happened this week can not be repeated,” Crols said. “We understand the fact that this man could not store his things, but it is certainly impossible and unheard of to take over an entire wagon.”

Gabriela Galindo

The Brussels Times