2023-08-18 15:17:25
Update
August 18, 2023
17:17
According to the SNCB, the situation concerning disturbances and inappropriate behavior inside and around the Gare du Midi is currently worrying.
The CEO of SNCB, Sophie Dutordoir, has just sent a letter to the federal, regional and municipal authorities asking them to strengthen both safety and cleanliness around Brussels-Midi station referring to the “persistent problems” around. This is what the railway company said on Friday, which received the support of its minister, Georges Gilkinet.
According to the SNCB, the situation in and around the station is “dramatic” today in terms of nuisance and incivility.
SNCB made two requests in its letter, addressed to the Minister-President of the Brussels-Capital Region, Rudi Vervoort (PS), to the Federal Minister for Mobility, Georges Gilkinet (Ecolo), to the Federal Minister of the Interior , Annelies Verlinden (CD&V), and to the mayors of Saint-Gilles and Anderlecht, Jean Spinette (PS) and Fabrice Cumps (also PS).
What the SNCB requires
It first “urges” for a very short-term initiative, bringing together stakeholders to ensure immediate improvement on the ground. “It should be designated a single body to coordinate between the different partners involved and integration with the SNCB action plan,” the company said.
SNCB would then like to start discussions about the installation of a police station which would be planned near Brussels-Midi and in particular to examine whether this police station can be accommodated in the station itself. This could indeed be part of the answer to the current challenges, she added.
International hub
According to the SNCB, the situation in and around the station today is “dramatic” in terms of nuisance and incivility, even though more than 50,000 people take the train there every day, which makes it the busiest station in Belgium.
It is also the international hub for rail traffic in our country and the main gateway for international travelers visiting Belgium. It is also SNCB’s main place of work: 4,000 of its employees work in the immediate vicinity of the station.
“The SNCB has neither the means nor the skills to tackle this alone.”
What solutions?
The SNCB assured to take measures with the deployment of Securail agents and collaboration with external partners such as the railway police and the local police. She performs more than cleaningof the physical facilities in the station, and carries the project of renovation of the former Tri Postal building located on avenue Fonsny, which will have a positive impact on the station district.
“However, this is not enough and SNCB has neither the means nor the skills to tackle it alone. The safety of passengers and staff is SNCB’s absolute priority, which requires that each partner takes responsibilitywhether it is the basic security aspect, prevention, land use planning, cleanliness”, added the public company.
Georges Gilkinet’s response
Mr. Gilkinet, for his part, assured this Friday that “totally shares SNCB’s concerns about the Brussels-Midi station as well as the proposal to appoint a body to coordinate the safety and cleanliness of the site and surroundings. “What is valid for Brussels-Midi station is valid for Brussels-North”said the Federal Minister of Mobility in a press release.
“What is valid for Brussels-Midi station is valid for Brussels-North.”
“At the end of July, I questioned my colleague from the Interior, Annelies Verlinden, about the situation at the Gare du Midi and she promised me the organization during the month of August of a coordination meeting with the police authorities concerned, federal police, local police and railway police, with representatives of the SNCB”, affirmed Mr. Gilkinet.
According to him, such an approach is “very necessary” in terms of cleanliness, with Bruxelles-Propreté and the municipalities concerned. “Rather than passing the buck, these different entities must better coordinate their action in the future to ensure safety and cleanliness, also around the Gare du Nord. The international status of these two stations and the image they reflect of the capital of Europe deserve a structural and proactive approach from the various public authorities concerned”, added Mr. Gilkinet.
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