Infrabel, the railway infrastructure manager, has launched a digital campaign on Sunday 17 November, to raise awareness about the free emergency number 1711 for reporting issues at level crossings.
In 2023, there were 31 accidents at level crossings, resulting in six deaths and five serious injuries. These incidents, including barriers being hit, caused an average daily delay of 2 hours and 25 minutes.
Dialling 1711 connects directly to a traffic management centre agent to report imminent danger, which allows for the immediate halting of train traffic to prevent collisions and their often severe consequences.
The emergency number should be called if a vehicle, object, or person is stuck on a level crossing and cannot move immediately.
Since its launch in mid-February, 1711 has received about 150 calls per month. However, Infrabel notes the number remains relatively unknown and is sometimes misused.
Around 35% of calls report potentially critical situations and are considered relevant. Some 52% of calls come from well-meaning witnesses but report non-urgent issues or situations unrelated to level crossings, while 13% are erroneous.
Infrabel is now launching an awareness campaign on social media and station screens. Each of the 1,400 public level crossings now has a sticker with the 1711 number, along with a second sticker displaying the line and crossing number to be communicated to the traffic management operator.
