A train attendant is the subject of a complaint after greeting passengers in a compartment in Dutch and French as the convoy arrived in Vilvoorde, Flanders. He should therefore only have said “Goeiemorgen” and not “Hello”.
Ilyass Alba, a train attendant who shares his daily life on social networks, is the subject of a complaint. “A traveler filed a complaint and referred the matter to the Commission regarding the use of languages because I entered a passenger compartment saying ‘Goeiemorgen-Hello’ just before arriving in Vilvoorde and according to him, I should simply say ‘Goiemorgen’“, he explains on his Facebook account.
In Belgium, the legislation of July 18, 1966 governs the use of languages in administrative matters. Thus, announcements on trains must be made in the language of the region crossed by the train. In the case of Ilyass, it is only a greeting to a compatriate from a train, “it’s not forbidden, that’s what I did and what I denounce“, writes the train conductor on his Facebook account.
According to the SNCB spokesperson, this rule also applies in the situation of Ilyass Alba, but the Belgian railway company pleads for flexibility and specifies that the attendant will not be punished.
SNCB also adds that in the case of an announcement which concerns safety, the attendant can make it in different languages so that it is understood by the majority of passengers.
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