A train journey could become more expensive for young and old, write De Morgen and Het Laatste Nieuws on Saturday. The new SNCB management contract, approved at the end of December, puts an end to the respective fixed reduced tariffs of 7.1 and 7.8 euros from which these two categories benefit. The longer the route, the greater the price difference will be, according to the two dailies. The Minister of Mobility Georges Gilkinet (Ecolo) however affirms that young people and seniors will in fact be winners with the new tariff offer, which will, on the contrary, become more advantageous.
The new SNCB management contract provides for the provision of a specific ticket for each of these two categories, both with a 40% reduction on the standard ticket.
Currently, those over 65 pay a fixed price of 7.8 euros per round trip, while young people must pay 7.1 euros per trip, or 14.2 euros round trip. These fixed prices will be reviewed, which should make the prices simpler and more transparent, according to SNCB.
However, many journeys are likely to become more expensive, especially if the distance traveled is long, according to De Morgen and Het Laatste Nieuws.
Vooruit, the Flemish socialist party, member of the federal majority, considers this imminent increase “unacceptable”. “Young people and the elderly are simply very dependent on trains to get around. The intention cannot be to reach these target groups”, underlines MP Joris Vandenbroucke. That the price to be paid is higher in the event of long distances does not hold water, he adds. “If we want to fight congestion, the idea is precisely that people take the train for these distances.”
On the side of the SNCB, we play down. Additional discounts are indeed being worked on. The objective would be, for example, to make the journey cheaper during off-peak hours. People who travel regularly would also benefit from some kind of “loyalty discount”. “These reductions will be cumulated with the 40% reduction, so the new prices will not be much higher than the current ones”, assures spokesperson Dimitri Temmerman. An opinion shared by the Minister of Mobility. “Young people and the elderly are actually going to be winners in the new tariff offer”, according to Georges Gilkinet. “For long distances, there will be a maximum price similar to the current price. For short trips, the price will be determined according to the distance and therefore a strong reduction will be applied, with an additional reduction during off-peak hours. Thus, taking the train will only become more advantageous.”
The principles of the tariff policy are defined in the public service contract, recalls the Minister, and are also supplemented by additional commercial initiatives on the part of SNCB. “With the aim of making the train more attractive and accessible.”
