Europe to introduce new travel rules

Last week, Belgium has announced it wants to adopt a passenger tracking system for trains, buses and boats. 

The new system entails that anyone wanting to travel by rail, sea or by bus to another EU country will have to register their information. This will make last-minute train tickets virtually impossible.

The EU already cracked down on air travel with airlines soon being required to save passenger names, phone numbers, payment methods, seat reservations and other information given by passengers into a common system, so that security authorities can more easily trace suspects.

Belgium wants to apply these measures beyond air travel. “It makes no sense to close one door and leave all the others open," Belgian Interior Minister Jan Jambon was quoted as saying. Belgium is planning to collect and evaluate data on passengers on all international trains, buses and ships.

Belgium will present its plan to France, Germany, and The Netherlands at the end of January.