Group reservations

The Group Ticket is accessible to groups consisting of a minimum of 15 paying passengers.
Travel can be between 2 Belgian stations or stopping points (excluding border stops).
Passengers are able to book seats on the specified train.

For logistical reasons, travelling with bicycles or pets is not allowed for group bookings.

To take advantage of the Group Ticket, the group must consist of a minimum of 15 paying passengers. Free travel for children under the age of 12 does not apply to group travel.

Yes, you can use a Group Ticket if your group consists of less than 15 paying passengers. Of course, the price of your Group Ticket will be calculated on the basis of at least 15 passengers, but you can use it even if there are less than 15 people travelling.

Passengers enjoy a 60% discount compared to the Standard Ticket price.
The price for children under the age of 12 is € 1 per journey.
The group must travel together and can take advantage of booking seats on the specified train.
Passengers with reduced mobility can enjoy assistance when boarding the train and disembarking free of charge.

The price for children under the age of 12 is € 1 per journey.

The price for a passenger over the age of 12, based on the number of kilometres travelled, is between a minimum of € 2.50 and a maximum of € 6 per single journey, per person.

The Group Ticket offers a 60% discount compared to the Standard Ticket price.
The Standard Ticket price is made up of 2 parts, namely a flat-rate fee and a fee based on the distance travelled in kilometres (referred to as the mileage allowance).
The 60% discount on the Group Ticket only applies to the mileage allowance.
The price of the Group Ticket for a passenger over the age of 12, based on the number of kilometres travelled, is between a minimum of € 2.50 and a maximum of € 6 per single journey, per person.

For logistical reasons, travelling with bicycles or pets is not possible as a group.

Assistance dogs and guide dogs continue to be permitted for all passengers.

It is not possible to make a booking for transporting bicycles or luggage.

Travelling with a bicycle: before boarding the train, consult the train conductor so that he can tell you if there are still any bicycle places available.

Travelling with luggage: bags and suitcases must be stowed in the luggage racks designated for this purpose, or under or between the seats. For your safety, ensure that your luggage does not impede the free movement of passengers on board the train.

No, the Group Ticket is only available in 2nd class.
The class upgrade is not permitted when using the Group Ticket.

The Group Ticket can only be awarded when combined with seat reservations on a selected train.

Compartments of seats booked for groups are indicated by visible blue stickers stuck to train carriage windows. When the train arrives in a station, the name of the group and the carriage number are reported in an audio announcement in the station.

SNCB staff in the station can help you to find your seat reservations on the train. Wherever possible, SNCB staff in the station can accompany your group on the platform.

Passengers with some other valid transport ticket (ticket or season ticket) are not taken into account when calculating the Group Ticket price. These journeys are not included in the number of seats reserved by the Group Ticket.

Group travel booking requests are handled through the website. Submit your request 24 hours a day, 7 days a week online.

No, group travel booking requests are handled through the website.

Once you have made your group travel reservation, you will receive an email setting out the detail of your request. If you haven't received it, please check your email spam folder.

However, if you still haven’t received anything, call the Contact Centre on 02/528.28.28.

If you wish to collect and pay for your tickets at a ticket office, you should submit your request at least 7 calendar days prior to the date of travel.

Please note that on many train services, seats available for groups are limited, so please ensure that you book well in advance.

If you wish to pay for your group booking online, you can submit your request up to 7 calendar days before the date of travel.

Please note that there is limited space available for groups on many trains. Please ensure you book well in advance.

It is possible for a certain number of passengers to board the train at a station located further away than the chosen itinerary. Seats for all of the group will be booked from the departure station, which also means that the price of the Group Ticket for everyone making up the group will be calculated from the first departure station.

The C3 document is proof of your group booking. On this document you will find all the information relating to your journey. You must always have this document to hand as well as your Group Tickets during the journey.

Due to the high occupancy rate of trains at peak times, some trains do not have enough free places to accommodate groups. Particularly trains bound for the Brussels Zone between 7 am and 9 am and departing from the Brussels Zone between 3.30 pm and 6.30 pm.

For your safety and travel convenience, the group travel booking service always allows a transfer time of at least 10 minutes. Depending on the size of the group or the connecting station, this transfer time may also be longer.

An itinerary in which you travel past your departure or destination station and then retrace your steps is not permitted for groups even if this itinerary is marked in our journey planner.

The Group Ticket is only valid on trains for which seat bookings have been made. During the journey, you must always have on your person your tickets and your proof of group travel booking (C3 document).

Boarding another train may result in a fine being imposed. The train conductor may also decline to allow you to board the train.

No. A journey at the Group Ticket price may not be broken. You have to travel on the trains on which the seats have been booked for you.

If, however, you wish to break your journey, you have to make a request in advance to book two journeys.

Example:
If you wish to travel from point A to point B including a stop at point C, submit a group travel booking request from A to C and a second group travel booking request from C to B.

You must always take the trains specified on your C3. Returning from an alternative station is only possible when that booking is made in advance.

You are not allowed to travel freely in a zone using a Group Ticket, you always have to take the trains specified on your C3. Returning from an alternative station is only possible when that booking is made in advance.

No. A group booking between 2 Belgian stations on international trains, such as ICE, Thalys or IC Amsterdam / Breda / Antwerp / Brussels, is not possible.

The international train Amsterdam / Breda / Antwerp / Brussels cannot be used for group bookings. Group travel from or to Noorderkempen station is only possible using SNCB trains (P trains) travelling in the morning and evening during weekdays. These national trains do not travel at weekends or on public holidays.

No. Group bookings are only possible between 2 Belgian stations or Belgian stops. There is no specific deal available for group travel to border stations.

Combining a Group Ticket with a ticket for international or cross-border travel is not permitted.

Yes. The Brussels Airport supplement is included in the Group Ticket if the destination or departing station is Brussels Airport – Zaventem station.

The Group Ticket does not open the airport security barriers. The person in charge of the group needs to approach the steward present on site to gain access, who will organise this upon presentation of the tickets and of the C3 document.

For any request to change your booking, please contact the Contact Centre by email or telephone on 02/528.28.28. Please always specify the reference number of the group booking.

The booking will be changed wherever possible.

A reduction in the number of passengers is no longer possible once tickets are issued.

It is possible to increase the number of participants up to a maximum of 10 additional passengers at the Group Ticket price. You can buy additional Group Tickets at the ticket office up to 30 minutes prior to departure. Booking seats is not available for additional passengers.

Changing travel times is possible up to no later than 7 calendar days prior to the date of departure. The change will be made, wherever possible. Please contact the Contact Centre by email or telephone on 02/528.28.28.

Changing the payment method is possible. 
However, the payment conditions must be respected. For example, payment at the railway station/online must be made at least 7 calendar days before departure.

Please contact the Contact Centre by email or telephone on 02/528.28.28.

You may cancel your group booking free of charge via the Contact Centre up to 7 calendar days prior to the date of travel. Please contact us a promptly as possible by email or telephone on 02/528.28.28. Don't forget to specify your booking number.

Cancellations and refunds are no longer possible fewer than 7 calendar days prior to departure.

If you are already in possession of your Group Ticket, the refund^(*) will be made via our after-sales service, taking into account an administration fee of € 5 per ticket.
You will receive an email with the steps to follow as soon as your file is cancelled.

 

(*) = Not valid for e-tickets (PDF format)

In the event passengers are absent on the day of travel, you are not entitled to any compensation or a refund.

Please contact the Contact Centre by email or telephone on 02/528.28.28 as soon as possible. The group travel booking service will examine your file and contact the ticket offices at the station of your choice to amend your tickets.

You can pay for your group travel booking by credit card, debit card or in cash.

It is also possible to pay a portion, or the full balance, with green cheques (Eco Cheque or Eco Pass), using an exchange or refund voucher. In the event such means of payment are used, the tickets will be non-exchangeable and non-refundable.

Payment cannot be made upon presentation of a requisition order under any circumstances.

You will receive 1 ticket per age category (-12 years or +12 years) per journey for all participants in the group.

The tickets and the C3 document must be presented upon each inspection on board the trains.

Please contact the Contact Centre as soon as possible on 02/528.28.28. In case of delays or cancellation on the part of SNCB, you will be offered an alternative proposal, wherever possible.

Unfortunately, if lost no duplicate can be issued for a Group Ticket. If it has been lost, you will keep the seat bookings but you will need to buy a new Group Ticket. Proceed to a station with your C3 document to pay for and collect your new tickets.

The Group Ticket is non-refundable and non-exchangeable if lost or stolen.

No, it is not possible to book seats on replacement buses. The group travel booking service will make every effort to provide you with an alternative itinerary.

If an alternative itinerary is not available, the group travel booking can be made from another station (when a connecting train is possible).

The group travel booking is open to all passengers. To guarantee optimal service, please specify the number of persons with reduced mobility in the online booking form or specify this when making your telephone booking.

Note :

• The choice of travel times depends on the type of train carriage operating at the preferred travel times.
• The number of available seats for wheelchairs is limited.
• Not all stations are equipped to be able to ensure assistance for persons with reduced mobility.

The group travel booking service will submit a request for assistance for persons with reduced mobility for the booked journey. You do not have to do anything, yourself.

If the passenger is travelling with a free Carer card or a National Public Transport Discount card, he/she is not part of the group travel booking and is consequently not entitled to a booked seat.