Belgium’s national railway operator, NMBS / SNCB, will stop selling tickets on board its trains from 1 July 2026. The decision, NMBS / SNCB’s leadership argues, follows a sharp rise in aggression towards staff, with 2,602 incidents recorded in 2025 – an average of seven per day – up from 2,103 in 2024. Will the end of sales and handing out 90-euros deferred payments curb aggression trends? That remains to be seen.
On-board sales also accounted for just 1.5% of NMBS / SNCB’s total ticket revenue, making the service costly to maintain. Since May 2023, cash has not been accepted on board and the Belgian Federal Government pressured the railway operator to choose: either accepting cash again, or ban on-board sales altogether.
Iberian exception
In contrast, Spain’s Red Nacional de los Ferrocarriles Españoles (Renfe) and Portugal’s Comboios de Portugal (CP) have confirmed to Railway Gazette International they will continue offering on-board ticket sales, calling it a “very important channel” for passengers. For many travellers, especially in rural areas, on-board purchases remain the only option, as smaller stations often lack ticket offices or machines.
Renfe sold around 1.8 million on-board tickets in 2025, with payments split almost evenly between bank cards (51%) and cash (49%). The operator allows on-board sales across all its services, including high-speed, suburban, and regional trains. While internet and app sales incur no extra fees, tickets bought at stations or by phone carry a surcharge of 5.5% and 3.5%, respectively.
In Portugal, CP permits on-board sales only when no ticket offices or machines are available within 200 metres of a station. Passengers must approach the conductor immediately after boarding and pay in cash, as card payments are still in a trial phase. However, the introduction of a €20 monthly regional pass has reduced the need for on-board purchases, with such sales dropping from 2% in 2020 to just 1.2% in 2025.
A question of accessibility
Both Renfe and CP emphasise that on-board sales are vital for passengers in areas with limited infrastructure. While digital channels are growing, the operators recognise that not all travellers are comfortable with – or have access to – online booking. For now, the Iberian Peninsula remains an exception in Western Europe, where on-board ticket sales are increasingly being phased out.