Belgium has completed the last major ERTMS project to make its railway system safer. Infrabel, the Belgian infrastructure manager, installed a modern train management system on 350 kilometres of double-track railway lines, along with upgrades to railway control equipment, across three main European rail routes. The project was supported by €40 million in CEF Transport funding from the European Union.
For many years, Belgian railway infrastructure relied on old and less reliable signalling systems. Following the tragic train accident in Buizingen in February 2010, in which 19 people lost their lives and many others were injured, improving rail safety became a national priority.
In response Belgium launched their Masterplan ETCS to increase railway safety across the country. Work started in 2012 and was completed in December 2025. Overall, the modern ERTMS Level 1 and 2 traffic management systems were installed on 6 400 kilometres of railway lines. Like cruise control in cars, ERTMS will constantly monitor train speed and take action when necessary to avoid collisions.
Thanks to this effort, Belgium is now the second country in the European Union, after Luxembourg, to have its entire main railway network equipped with the most advanced technology in rail signalling. This makes Belgium’s railway network one of the safest in Europe. (....)