Public transport
A train that had to leave Gent-Sint-Pieters towards Brussels on Wednesday morning was so full that the train conductor did not let the train leave. Only after a group of travelers had disembarked again did he give the green light.
Due to an incident on the track, several trains from Ghent-Sint-Pieters to Brussels were canceled on Wednesday morning, causing the platform to be full of waiting passengers. Moreover, the next train was shortened. As many passengers as possible got on, but the train was immediately overcrowded and the conductor decided that it could not be driven safely.
“A train conductor does not take such an exceptional measure lightly,” says Günther Blauwens of the Acod Spoor union. “He has to take everything into account. People must be able to be evacuated in the event of an emergency. But he must also be able to walk through the carriages himself without too many problems. And that was not the case on Wednesday morning.”
No gift
Only after a large group of travelers had disembarked did the conductor give the green light to leave for Brussels on Wednesday morning. Dimitri Temmerman, spokesperson for the NMBS, confirms that the most important task of a train conductor is to ensure that the journey is safe for everyone. So he has taken responsibility.
“Such a decision is exceptional and a train conductor is not doing himself a favor by doing so, because he has to communicate his decision to the passengers himself and therefore also has to listen to the negative reactions,” says Blauwens.
