There are trains that have been running in Belgium for over 40 years, according to figures that MP Jef Van den Bergh requested from Mobility Minister Georges Gilkinet, which means that they are not fitted with air conditioning.
It is sweltering on 30% of trains these days and they feel "more like a baking oven", Van den Bergh told Het Nieuwsblad, referring to the 40-year-old trains. SNCB wanted to withdraw some trains from service at the end of last year, but it is still awaiting the delivery of a pending order.
"Several passengers complain about train carriages that feel more like a baking oven than a comfortable means of transport," Van den Bergh said. "With temperatures above 30°C and old railcars without air conditioning, these complaints are not surprising."
The Minister also said that these factors pose risks to passengers' health, well-being and safety, while lacking the modern comfort that "you should expect in 2023" and therefore called for further investment in more modern railcars fitted with proper air conditioning.
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Rail union OVS also complained about the conditions in hot trains in an open letter earlier this week. "The lack of a fresh breeze in the oppressive heat soon became unbearable for both staff and passengers. But we had to keep running because there was no other option," the letter read. "This kind of malaise has become a daily occurrence."
SNCB stated that almost 30% of the seats in its trains are without air conditioning. By 2026, this will be reduced to 20%, and the national railway company hopes to fit all trains with air conditioning by 2032.
Currently, trains without air conditioning are only used on the quietest lines and as P-trains, which only undertake two journeys a day.
