The angry lady is the ticket inspector, in Uniform I guess?
Looks like she was mistaken when it comes to the Eurail youth ticket. Looks like she confuses with internal Belgian youth tickets, which are only valid until 26 years. You’re in your right when it comes to the ticket.
Were all the doors open, or only one pair of doors? At which station this was, Brussels Central?
The departure procedure consists of the following: First a whistle signal, and the inspector closes closes all doors, except one. This happens 30 seconds before departure. Boarding is impossible and prohibited from that moment.
The ticket inspector looks if all doors are correctly closed, but one door remains open, where the inspector needs to board back in the train. The inspector boards in the remaining open door, closes it. And gives the departure signal for the train. Train leaves seconds after it.
In some stations, like Brussels Central - or when the usual procedure doesn’t work if technology fails- the inspector gives the departure signal between checking the closed doors and closing the last door in which the inspector needs to get back on. This is a tiny window of 5 -10 seconds, that some people use to rush in the remaining last door. The only person allowed to board at that moment is the inspector. But that is extremely dangerous, since departure can happen any moment. She’s in her full right to fine you if you tried to board in the middle of the departing procedure. It’s just dangerous, you’ve might have harmed yourselves. Best take into account a little bit more time before boarding.
This difference in higher MAX age for junior applies to about any country where they also have local junior fares. Incidentally I have also had only in BE on NMBS 2 times some inexplicable other remarks on my pass with once a minor threat to fine. Never ever had that when I travelled on other tix in BE-being NL myself I get there fairly often and speak the lingo.
The departure procedure consists of the following: First a whistle signal, and the inspector closes closes all doors, except one. This happens 30 seconds before departure. Boarding is impossible and prohibited from that moment.
In my experience, 40 seconds before the published departure time is "normal” to blow the whistle in Belgium, but sometimes also up to a full minute. This is not published anywhere, so can make for nasty surprises.
I do wonder what was going on with this train. If it still took a minute for the doors to close after boarding, then it doesn't sound like it was about to depart yet.
The age rules for passes are universal and set by Eurail/Interrail, local rules for their own tickets are not applicable to passes.
If the doors were open and no warning buzzer sounding then you were perfectly entitled to board, as long as you weren’t physically holding the doors open then I see no issue here.
What has happened is you have encountered a complete ****. Most staff are reasonable, many will go out of their way to assist tourists but some are just *****. You were unlucky, you probably won’t encounter any more of these types.
Be assured that you won’t be fined, there would be no way to enforce one on you anyway.
**** = fill in the blanks yourself, I’m sure we all have appropriate descriptions for these types, people who are miserable and like to spread it around, best to ignore their BS, laugh it off and don’t let it ruin your day.
