NMBS tariffs are expected to be indexed normally in February next year – the proposal is on the agenda of this week’s Board of Directors – but in the course of 2024 the railway company hopes to significantly simplify its fare formulas. This was confirmed during the hearing of the managing director Sophie Dutordoir in the parliamentary committee on mobility.
Changing the various tariff formulas already in 2023 is too ambitious: first we need to complete the discussion on the management contract with the Confederation and, on the other, also the IT adjustments.
The ambition is therefore for 2024, it has been confirmed. The intention is to rate a ticket differently during peak or off-peak hours. Some flat rate formulas would also be abolished, because they do not seem interesting for short distances. At the same time, NMBS wants to continue offering attractive rates to key segments such as young and old, he said. The large family ticket would be abolished: the railway company wants every child to pay the same and does not believe it makes sense that parents can keep this advantage even if their children have been away from home for some time. But even here they want to provide an alternative, it seemed. They want to reward travelers who use the rail frequently.
Rate indexing
Sophie Dutordoir also confirmed Wednesday that a proposal to index fares is on the table for next year, 8.7 percent for individual tickets and 9 percent for season tickets. This should generate € 70 million in additional revenue.
Several MPs such as Joris Vandenbroucke of Vooruit or Maria Vindevoghel of PVDA have wondered whether NMBS would not be better off following the example of Germany or Austria, where many more travelers have been attracted to very cheap tickets. “This is a political decision,” Dutordoir noted. At the same time, it had its reserves. “In Germany, the € 9 bill cost the government € 14 billion annually. At the same time, this caused many operational problems and a sharp deterioration in punctuality, up to 65%. It also seems that there has not been a real “modal shift” (transition from the car to public transport, ed).
Investments deferred
It was announced today that, following the federal government’s budget conclave, the NMBS is forced to postpone a series of investments planned for 2023-2024 to the following years.
“In addition to the expected efficiency improvements, we will have to postpone the projects we would have liked from 1 January. At the operational level, we will limit costs where possible, “Dutordoir told the House Committee. However, he formulated a red line: the pressure must be reduced by deploying new equipment and anticipated hiring will not be affected.
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