The Parliamentary Mobility Committee unanimously approved a resolution from Vooruit on Tuesday to allow bicycles on the train for free. Until now, as a traveler you paid 4 euros extra for this. The resolution also asks the government to work on one combination ticket for all public transport.
Source: Belga
According to figures from the NMBS, 485,000 travelers bought a bicycle ticket in 2024, an increase of 10 percent compared to a year earlier.
According to Vooruit parliamentary faction leader Oskar Seuntjens, many more people would combine the train and bicycle if conditions improved.
“With this proposal we really want to encourage people to leave their car at home and opt for the bicycle and the train. By allowing bicycles on the train for free, we make it easier and cheaper,” says Seuntjens.
Better cycling infrastructure at stations
Seuntjens’ proposal also contains other ambitions. For example, there must be safe bicycle parking spaces at stations, the supplement for bicycles on the train must disappear and more space must be provided in the carriages to store bicycles.
He also advocates the introduction of a combination ticket that is valid for the train, tram and bus, and for bicycle repair points at stations.
Seuntjens included those recommendations to the government in a resolution, which received the green light today in the Parliamentary Mobility Committee. Vlaams Belang abstained from the vote, all other parties voted in favor.
