Belgium's national railway company NMBS/SNCB and Flemish regional transport company De Lijn will adjust their rates on 1 February.
What the railway wants is to be more attractive, not just for commuters, but also for travellers.
SNCB points out that the average tariff increase (+ 1.53%) of both the standard ticket and the weekend ticket will remain under the health index (+ 1.87% in the reference period June 2018-June 2019).
The increase of home-to-work and school passes is 2.87%, the same as that of derivative products, such as the Campus card, which allows students who do not live in the same city as where they study to travel back and forth at a lower price.
The average price increase for all other products (excluding passes) amounts to 1.87%.
The price of youth leisure products (Go Pass 1, Go Pass 10, and Go Unlimited: unlimited travel for people aged 26 and under), as well as the Rail Pass (unlimited travel), remains unchanged.
The Key card (short distances in a specific area) and the senior’s ticket will increase by €0.30 and €0.20 per trip respectively.
Furthermore, seniors will now be allowed to use their ticket on all weekends in July and August (including 15 August) as the existing restriction will be lifted.
At De Lijn, the SMS ticket will go from €2.25 to 2.65. Smartphone owners will only pay €1.8 for an m-ticket via the app. A group ticket for 10 or more will now cost €1.60 per trip instead of 1.30.
However, a one-way ticket purchased in advance will be cheaper: €2.5 rather than €3. Monthly passes will remain the same. But all other passes will be more expensive.
The Brussels Times
