Charlotte lives in Beauraing, in the south of the province of Namur. Her best friend wants to take her children spending a day at sea tomorrow. Not having much means, she opts for the train. But after consulting the schedules, it’s the cold shower. “The last return train is at 5:13 p.m., with trips from 4 hours off and 4 hours back! I find it inadmissible and incomprehensible! Bravo the SNCB… ”, she writes to us via our orange button alert us.
After having compared the train journeys to the sea from the main stations of Belgium (see at the bottom of this article), it turns out that indeed, the inhabitants of Beauraing and other stations on line 166 are among the least lotis in the country.
The problem is not to leave Ostend because the last train to Brussels starts there at 11:08 p.m. The concern is that the last return train from Dinant, it is at 8:31 pm! And to get there in time, you have to leave the sea at 5:13 p.m.
It must have been their only vacation day
Our comparison tells us that the users of this line 166, from Anseremme to Paliseul, are (almost) those who can spend the least time in the sea from all over the country: 7:26 maximum on site. They are equaled in their misfortune by users of line 165, from Bertrix to Messancy in the south of the province of Luxembourg. If they can leave Ostend an hour later, at 6:13 p.m., they also arrive there an hour later in the morning. The only even less well lotis are travelers from Erquelinnes, in southern Hainaut, with only 6:30 am spent in Ostend.
Another problem, the time spent in transport. From Beauraing, for 7:26 on site, you have to count… 7:23 a.m. round trip! Unimaginable for Charlotte’s best friend, who preferred to change her plans despite the disappointment of children. “It must have been their only vacation day” at the beach all summer, “she regrets.
Comparison of a vacation Saturday in Ostend depending on the stations
Here is the comparison for this Saturday, July 19, by using only the SNCB because it is sometimes slightly advantageous to go through France or Germany for certain journeys when one is cross -border.
Are taken into account the major agglomerations and the stations located at the end of lines (terminus or last station before passing the border).
The latest reform of SNCB trains schedules took place on December 15 for this year 2025 and new schedules should be created for 2026. In addition, the traditional transport plan adapted to the months of July-August is currently in force, with a reinforced offer to the tourist spots of the summer including the Belgian coast.
