SNCB, the national rail operator in Belgium, unveiled its first fully accessible train car on Thursday (15 February), which will permit travellers with reduced mobility, including people in wheelchairs, to take the train independently.
The specially configured car is the first of 130 autonomously accessible M7 double-decker cars that will be gradually rolled out across the rail operator’s network.
The car, developed in consultation with interest groups such as the National High Council for Disabled People, features wider doors, lower-placed buttons and a sliding step that fills the space between the platform and the train to allow travellers with reduced mobility to board and disembark independently.
The cars are also equipped with additional handles and accessible toilets that are fitted with an intercom system allowing wheelchair users to request help if necessary.
SNCB CEO Sophie Dutordoir said: “Beyond safe and comfortable transport, accessibility is also an integral part of our policy. For SNCB, this is not limited to providing assistance."
.jpg "The cars are also equipped with additional handles and accessible toiletsImage Source: SNCB")
The cars are also equipped with additional handles and accessible toilets Image Source: SNCB
“We want all our travellers, including those with reduced mobility, to be able to take the train independently, from the time they purchase their ticket until they arrive at their destination. An objective for which both our sales channels, our stations, our platforms and our trains will be adapted,” Dutordoir said.
The rail operator has ordered 130 autonomously accessible cars, with delivery expected from the second half of 2024 until the end of 2026. SNCB in a statement said each new M7 train will then be equipped with “at least one” of these cars.
SNCB is also investing to increase the number of fully accessible train stations across the country from 103 (today) to 176 by the end of 2032.
A station is fully accessible as long as it has a ramp or an elevator at each platform and at least one accessible vending machine, according to the rail operator. SNCB stated that from 2026 new sales machines will also be installed and will be equipped with an assistance button allowing travellers to contact an SNCB employee who will be able to take control of the remote device.