Moroccan Family Stranded Overnight at Brussels Station After Missing Last Train

After getting off the plane at Charleroi airport, Rachid Hiloua and his family took a bus to the Midi station in Saint-Gilles on Saturday. While they were planning to return to Antwerp, they missed the last train. At the request of Securail, they then decided to wait on site rather than book a hotel room and a taxi, as the first train the next morning was to arrive in a few hours. "The Securail staff asked us to wait outside. I showed our train tickets to the agents, but we were not allowed to go inside. Yet I saw that other people were inside," says the father to Het Laatste Nieuws.

While waiting in front of the station, Rachid and his family witnessed violent fights just a few meters away. "We saw a group attacking a person, there were even stabbings," testifies the Moroccan expatriate. A trauma for his children. "My eldest son, aged 13, could not hold back his tears, because he thought we would be next. We saw blood on the path. It almost looked like a war zone, certainly not the Brussels they promote as the capital of Europe." Immediately afterwards, Rachid, who claims to have already called the police to explain his situation and the fact that his family did not feel safe, made another call. "When the assault took place, I called the police again, who arrived very quickly at the scene with three combos and two ambulances," he says.

Sunday morning. End of the nightmare. Rachid’s family boarded the first train to Antwerp, but the Moroccan expatriate is dissatisfied with Securail. "How could they have kept a family of four children, the youngest of whom is four years old and the oldest 13, waiting in such a dangerous neighborhood, outside the station, at night?! And when the doors opened around 4 a.m., we saw homeless people still sleeping inside. It’s really incomprehensible! We don’t want other families to go through the same thing as us. That’s why we intend to file a complaint against Securail," the father fumes.

SNCB tries to provide clarification. "In principle, if a connection is missed due to a problem with the trains, our staff will do everything in their power to bring the passengers concerned home, for example by taxis or buses. For travelers in similar situations, our on-site staff are the first point of contact. And there is always our free emergency number 0800/30 230, which is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week," explains spokesman Dimitri Temmerman, assuring that he was not aware of Rachid Hiloua’s situation and promises to examine his case.