Never get down onto the tracks

Putting yourself on the tracks: a deadly dangerous idea, which also causes numerous disruptions on the network. However, almost one person every day dares to do so. The STIB was therefore keen to point out the dangers associated with such behaviour, which may seem harmless but could have a potentially tragic outcome.

Between 2020 and 2021, the number of trespasses on the tracks increased by 13%, from 259 in 2020 to 294 in 2021. At the end of 2022, the STIB counted 281 trespasses on the tracks and a total of 3,599 lost operating minutes.

A metro train can reach 72 km/h in a tunnel and 40 km/h at the station entrance. A metro platform has an average height of 1.10 metres. Getting back up there from the tracks is not easy. The tracks are a source of danger, particularly because of the presence of the 3rd rail which supplies electricity to the metro trains. A voltage of 900 volts circulates along it. Anyone who steps onto the tracks risks being electrocuted.

The STIB advises its passengers never to get down on the tracks. In case of the loss of an object on the rails, passengers can call an official at the station or use the SOS terminals on the platforms to contact an operator, who can send a team to the site.

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