Following a successful trial phase, these quiet areas will now be available on all main routes in the country
In the coming weeks and months, Belgium’s national railway operator SNCB will be introducing silent compartments on the main lines of its inter-city train services. The adaptation in the interior of the trains was motivated by a desire to provide better quality to passengers.
Commuters travelling in the silent compartments will be urged to not talk loudly with each other, not talk on their phones, limit the volume of headphones or earphones and put mobile phones on silent. Presumably, if they fail to respect the rules, they will be asked to move to a regular compartment.
The zones will always be located on the ground floor of the double-decker trains and can be recognised by stickers and pictograms inside and outside the carriage.
Library-like atmosphere on the train
The decision to implement this interior adaptation follows a pilot project that tested the concept last year. The first ‘quiet zones’ during the trial were set up in trains connecting Brussels to Luxembourg and Eupen to Ostend.
According to SNCB, the pilot project was a success. Evaluating the feedback from passengers revealed that 90% of them were in favour of silent compartments. More than fifty per cent said that they would take the train more often if such ‘quiet zones’ were a permanent feature.
“These sticker-designated silent compartments were met with great success,” reads the railway operator’s activity report, as quoted by Belga news agency.