Trade unions representing railway workers on Thursday denounced the introduction of a computerised system indicating the departure of trains.
The new system puts both staff and passengers at risk, according to ACOD Spoor LVHW, which represents staff in Liège, Verviers, Huy and Welkenraedt, and the ACV.
“Since February, conductors have had watches, which they use to indicate the departure of trains,” said Anthony Signorino-Gelo, permanent secretary of ACOD-Spoor LVHW.
In the past two weeks, three conductors at the Welkenraedt depot reportedly had their certification revoked because a train left with its doors open or with the conductor still on the platform. Several staff members involved said they had not made a mistake, but that it was an equipment error.
However, the problems with the so-called Linda system are not limited to Welkenraedt, says Thierry Moers, national secretary of ACOD-Spoor.
The national railway utility, SNCB, confirmed that there had been occasional hiccups with the compterised system, with which 40,000 daily departures are conducted daily. “A few one-off, localised incidents have been observed in recent weeks,” said SNCB spokesperson Marianne Hiernaux.
“As the safety of our passengers and staff is paramount, we have launched a technical analysis to quickly understand the problem and take appropriate action,” she added.
The unions, for their part, have initiated an alert procedure to work with management to arrive at a prompt solution. A meeting is scheduled for next week.
Meanwhile, the SNCB management is to visit Welkenraedt on Friday for a meeting with the staff.
