SNCB to Recruit More Than 900 Staff for 2027
Belgium’s national rail operator SNCB launched its recruitment campaign for 2027 on 2 October 2026, aiming to hire more than 900 new employees across operational roles as it prepares to expand its train service. The company is offering paid training programmes to attract candidates to what it calls “typically railway” jobs that are not taught in schools.
According to the SNCB press release, the bulk of the openings are concentrated in three core operational functions: more than 200 positions for train drivers, more than 200 for on-board train attendants, and more than 200 for workshop technicians. The remaining roles include around 40 commercial staff, roughly 40 new Securail security personnel — both security agents and dispatchers working in control rooms — about 150 positions in other company functions, and more than 70 IT roles.
Paid training as a recruitment tool
Because train drivers, attendants and technicians learn their trade on the job rather than at school, SNCB provides intensive in-house training — and pays candidates while they learn. The training lasts about one year for train drivers and roughly five months for train attendants, the company says.
The employer is also highlighting the pay. A train driver in training can count on a net salary of around €2,250, rising to a minimum of €2,500 once training is complete. A starting train attendant receives a minimum net salary of €2,300.
“The earlier new staff are recruited, the sooner they can start their training and become operational for the train service,” SNCB said in its announcement, explaining the decision to open the campaign well ahead of the 2027 target year.
To reach as many candidates as possible, SNCB has launched a campaign branded “YESNCB !” using real employees as its faces. It is being broadcast on radio, in cinemas, on social media, on screens in stations and trains, and on the operator’s jobs website. One of those faces is Maarten Herremans, a 28-year-old electronics repairer at the SNCB workshop in Mechelen.
“I am proud of my job,” Herremans said. “I am myself a strong supporter of the train and public transport. So it’s really great to be able to contribute concretely and thus help our customers.”
Positions still open from 2026
The campaign comes as SNCB still has vacancies to fill for the current year. Of about 1,000 posts opened in 2026, 850 have been filled so far, the operator told RTBF.
The railway is clearly a sought-after employer: in the first eight months of 2026 alone, SNCB received more than 30,000 applications, and more than 30% of new hires join on the recommendation of a friend, acquaintance or family member already working for the company.
Recruitment tied to a bigger transport plan
The hiring drive is directly linked to SNCB’s expansion plans. The company unveiled its Transport Plan 2026–2029 on 18 September 2026, a package it says will add nearly 600 extra trains per week and improve service at 178 stations across the country. As La Libre reported, the plan will be rolled out in three phases between December 2026 and December 2028.
The plan is a key milestone in the 2023–2032 public service contract signed with the Belgian State, which targets a 10% increase in supply and 30% growth in passenger numbers by 2032. The first phase, taking effect on 14 December 2026, includes additional trains on the Brussels–Ottignies axis in Walloon Brabant, a new Braine-Alliance stop at Braine-l’Alleud, an extended IC service to Binche in Hainaut, a longer evening service on the Liège S42 line, a later IC arrival at Eupen, extra trains toward Luxembourg and Arlon, and extended evening service between Dinant–Namur and Libramont–Bertrix.
SNCB frames the recruitment drive as essential to running that expanded timetable: the additional staff will not only reinforce current teams but also allow the service extensions to go ahead.
What to watch
The scale of the 2027 campaign — more than 900 posts on top of the roughly 850 already filled this year — underlines both the ambition of SNCB’s expansion and the staffing challenge of delivering it. Filling specialised operational roles takes time, which is why the operator is recruiting nearly a year in advance and paying candidates during training.
What remains to be seen is whether the hiring pace can keep up with the timetable. SNCB’s ability to staff the nearly 600 extra weekly trains promised by 2028–2029 will depend on converting the strong interest it reports — tens of thousands of applications a year — into qualified drivers, attendants and technicians. The first test comes in December 2026, when the new transport plan’s initial phase takes effect.