All trains to sea listed in trip planners are scheduled to run according to the NMBS, including the trains to Blankenberge station. The railway company reported this via Twitter on Sunday morning. The coastal city did not want trains to arrive between 9am and 16pm. But in the travel planners of the NMBS trains to Blankenberge are still included in that period on Sunday morning. Acting provincial governor Anne Martens is furious with the NMBS.

“We lobbied for weeks not to send extra trains to the coast. It is irresponsible that we now have to conclude that the wagons are filled to 100 and 115 percent. If we do not want to endanger the health of our citizens, we must do something about this. ”

tourists not welcome on the coast

The mayors of many Belgian coastal cities are tired of tourists. Mayor of Ostend Bart Tommelein also urged the NMBS on Saturday evening not to allow extra trains to run to his city on Sunday. According to the mayor, it has become impossible to safely spread everyone over the beaches. Ostend station closes its doors at 11 am. The provincial security cell decided this on Sunday morning, Ostend mayor Bart Tommelein reports on Twitter.

And Knokke-Heist also bans day trippers from its territory until further notice. Anyone who wants to come to Knokke-Heist will have to submit proof to justify the trip, Mayor of Knokke-Heist Leopold Lippens said in a press release in the night from Saturday to Sunday. 

Blankenberge station remains open all day, but day tourists are actively turned back. On the trains en route to the coast it is announced that day trippers are not welcome in Blankenberge, Knokke and Ostend. Yet there is no signal from the federal government to let the local security cell do its work.

we should not be mistaken about debate

According to mobility minister Bellot, the images of yesterday on the beach are a problem of norms and values ​​and not of trains. After last night's fight, the mayor of Blankenberge Duméry convened the local security cell. 

“Most troublemakers have now been caught,” says a press release that Duméry has sent out. “Those who were arrested were banned from entering and are therefore temporarily no longer allowed to enter the Blankenberg territory. Almost all of them have a laundry list of criminal offenses. So they are known to the court. ”

Also read: Boulevard Scheveningen suffers from inconvenience to visitors