More than 1,000 official reports have already been drawn up since the smoking ban in Belgium's SNCB stations and platforms came into force in January.
Mobility Minister Georges Gilkinet reported the figures in the Parliamentary Committee on Mobility earlier this week. According to national railway company SNCB, these administrative fines can be issued by safety, platform and train escort staff.
From 1 January, there has been a general smoking ban in all 550 train stations in Belgium. This ban on smoking and vaping also applies on open-air platforms. All ashtrays were removed from the platforms and no smoking signs were put in place. Anyone who violates the ban risks a fine of at least €50.
Fines of up to €150
The Minister explained that travellers were still being made aware of the new legislation from January to March this year, but that "sanctions have been applied" since April and over 1,000 official reports have already been drawn up since the ban was introduced.
These are administrative fines, which can be issued by safety, platform and train escort staff, SNCB spokesperson Dimitri Temmerman said. "The amount varies depending on whether it is a first infringement or not." For a first infringement, there is a fine of €50, for a second, it is €75 and those who are caught a third time have to pay €150.
"If we put the number of SNCB passengers in 2022 in relation to the number of official reports made since April, it comes to about 500 official reports every month for just under 19 million train passengers," Gilkinet said. "It is still too early to give a representative analysis of the sanctions, but it's looking positive for the time being."
Related News
The complete smoking ban is the latest step in making the railways smoke-free. Smoking has been banned on trains since 2004, and a smoking ban was later introduced in stations and on covered platforms.
The smoking ban is not only beneficial for the health of passengers and employees alike, but also reduces cigarette butts on the platforms and tracks, says SNCB.
The new measure also provides clarity. "Before, our passengers often did not know on which platform they were allowed to smoke, depending on whether it was covered or not," Temmerman said. "Now the whole railway area is smoke-free."
