SNCB/NMBS

NMBS/SNCB is an autonomous government company, formed in 1926 as successor to the Belgian State Railways. In 1935, the country and its system embarked on the process of electrification (changing a system to run on electricity). In the present, only a few of its lines run on diesel. From 1942 to 1944, amid Nazi Germany's occupation of Belgium, the company was paid 51 million Belgian francs by the Nazi Germany to send 28 trains carrying 25,843 Jews and Roma people to Auschwitz where only 1,195 survived. The company also sent 16,000 political prisoners to concentration camps.

The company's logo was designed by Antwerp-born Art Nouveau pioneer Henry van de Velde, who served as SNCB's artistic advisor from 1932 to 1939. He sought to improve the use of materials without compromising comfort and aesthetics. He also provided expert advice on issue from design of rolling stock to the introduction of electrification in 1935.

In 1980, SNCB merged with SNCV, the national bus and light rail company.

In 2005, the company was split up into three parts: Infrabel, which manages the railway infrastructure, network operations, and network access, the public railway operator NMBS/SNCB itself to manage the freight (B-Cargo) and passenger services, and NMBS/SNCB-Holding, which owns both public companies and supervises the collaboration between them. Essentially, this was a move to facilitate future liberalisation of railway freight and passenger services in agreement with European regulations. Several freight operators have since received access permissions for the Belgian network. In February 2011, NMBS/SNCB Logistics began operating as a separate business.

Faced with rising losses, in June 2012, the Belgian transport minister announced further reform: NMBS/SNCB Holding would be split up, so NMBS/SNCB (the train operator) would be separate from Infrabel (the infrastructure owner). Unions opposed the reform.

NMBS/SNCB-Holding was merged into NMBS/SNCB in 2014 in order to simplify the structure of the Belgian railways.

NMBS/SNCB holds a Royal Warrant from the Court of Belgium.

In 2008, NMBS/SNCB carried 207 million passengers a total of 8,676 million passenger-kilometres over a network of 3,536 kilometres (2,197 mi) (of which 2,950 km (1,833 mi) are electrified, mainly at 3,000 V DC and 351 km (218 mi) at 25 kV 50 Hz AC). In 2024, that number rose to 245 million passengers carried. The rail network has expanded to 3,733 km (2,320 mi) of which 3,286 km (2,042 mi) are electrified.

The network currently includes four high speed lines suitable for 300 km/h (190 mph) traffic: HSL 1 runs from just south of Brussels to the French border, where it continues to a triangular junction with LGV Nord for Paris Nord and Lille Flandres (and London beyond that), HSL 2 runs from Leuven to Ans and onward to Liège-Guillemins, HSL 3 runs from Liège to the German border near Aachen and HSL 4 connects with HSL-Zuid in the Netherlands to allow services to run from Antwerpen-Centraal to Rotterdam Centraal.