Emily Coenegrachts is the new CEO of Traxio

September 03, 2025

Mobility federation Traxio has a new chief executive officer. Emily Coenegrachts will report to the board and the strategic committee. Coenegracht has expertise from very different sectors in the industry and has been working, among others, for BPost, VIAS, and Keolis. She will start officially in her new position on the 15th of September. Traxio […]

Belux car sales 10% lower than last year in the first eight months

September 02, 2025

According to data from the federal public service Mobility and Transport and those of the sector federation Febiac, 26,120 new cars were registered in August in Belgium and Luxembourg, representing a 10.9% decrease from the same month last year. Looking at the first eight months of 2025, 292,349 new cars were registered, representing a 10% […]

No more C driving license required for campers up to 4,250 kg

September 01, 2025

Anyone driving a camper or motorhome weighing more than 3,500 kg will soon no longer be required to hold a category C driver’s license. With a short training course or exam, a category B driver’s license will soon be sufficient for campers up to 4,250 kg. With a trailer, this can even reach up to […]

Drunk driving will be punished more severely in Antwerp and Limburg

September 01, 2025

Today, drivers lose their licenses for fifteen days if they exceed the 1.2 per mille limit. Starting September 1st, this will be 0.8 per mille in the provinces of Antwerp and Limburg. The East Flanders public prosecutor’s office is also considering stricter measures. Drunk driving is one of the leading causes of traffic accidents. Research […]

BYD rides sales surge but margins shrink in price war

September 01, 2025

BYD, the world’s biggest maker of electric vehicles, is selling record numbers of cars but has reported its first fall in profits in more than two years. The toll of a fierce price war in China’s car industry turns BYD’s strategy into a balancing act. The Shenzhen-based carmaker sold almost 2.2 million vehicles in the […]

Mobility Dashboard shows 52% drop in traffic jams, but safety worsens

August 28, 2025

According to the Belgian Mobility Dashboard, a freely accessible platform that provides a range of essential mobility indicators for Belgium, it turns out that despite smoother traffic in the summer, Belgian roads are not safer. As in previous years, the summer months brought a noticeable decrease in traffic jams on the roads. But paradoxically, less traffic doesn’t […]

Volvo confirms XC70 plug-in hybrid SUV coming to Europe after China debut

August 28, 2025

Volvo Cars’ new XC70 plug-in hybrid SUV will not be limited to China after all. The automaker has confirmed that the long-range model, originally unveiled with a focus on the Chinese market, will also be offered in Europe, expanding its role within the brand’s global electrification strategy. The XC70 revives one of the most familiar […]

Suzuki starts global shipments of its first electric Indian-built eVitara

August 28, 2025

Suzuki Motor Corporation has begun shipping its first battery-electric vehicle, the eVitara, worldwide. The company hosted a dispatch ceremony at its Gujarat facility in India, where the compact SUV is produced. The event drew high-level participation, underscoring the importance of the launch for both Suzuki and India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Gujarat Chief Minister […]

Work has begun on shore power for cruise ships in Zeebrugge

August 27, 2025

On Tuesday, work began to install a shore power installation at the cruise terminal on the Swedish Quay in Zeebrugge (Belgium). In the near future, cruise ships will be able to switch off their polluting diesel generators and fully utilize shore power. Shore power is an environmentally friendly and quiet way for ships to moor. It allows […]

BYD ships first Thai-made EVs to Europe in bid to dodge tariffs

August 27, 2025

China’s BYD has started exporting electric cars from its Thai factory to Europe. In anticipation of the start of its production site in Hungary, the Chinese EV maker uses this bypass to skip its 17.4% excess tariffs. As products imported from Thailand into the EU are exempt from import levies, the new route is expected […]

NGOs also put pressure on NMBS/SNCB in CAF case (update)

August 27, 2025

There is another fly in the ointment in the NMBS/SNCB saga concerning the designation of the Spanish company CAF as the preferred bidder for a multi-billion euro order for up to 600 new trainsets. Following the French company Alstom’s continued exercise of its legal rights before the Council of State in Belgium regarding the tender, […]

482 children and young people injured in traffic in Brussels every year

August 26, 2025

Last year, 482 children and young people were injured in traffic accidents in Brussels. The figures come from Brussels Mobility, which publishes them due to the first day of school in French-speaking education in the capital. The service reminds all road users, including drivers, cyclists, e-scooter users, and pedestrians, to be extra cautious and to […]

Nio slashes next-gen flagship ES8’s price by 25% ‘to survive’ (update)

August 26, 2025

Chinese premium EV maker Nio has revealed the new price of the third-generation flagship SUV ES8 (sold as the EL8 in Europe), the biggest electric SUV on the market, and while the car is bigger and supposed to be better on the new 900-volt platform, the price is cut by 101,800 yuan (€12,155) or 25% […]

Zombies on the streets? Vias warns of young people’s risky behavior in traffic

August 25, 2025

Traffic accidents remain one of the leading causes of death and injury among young people. One reason for this is that young people, especially boys, often exhibit risky behavior in traffic. A study by the Vias Institute, for example, shows that four out of ten adolescents do not always wear a seatbelt when traveling in […]

De Lijn tests AI driving assistant on trams

August 22, 2025

The Flemish public transport company De Lijn is testing a new, intelligent driving assistance system in Antwerp to warn tram drivers of potential hazards, such as pedestrians, cyclists, or obstacles on the tracks. The system uses cameras, sensors, and artificial intelligence (AI), and was developed by the Ghent-based technology company OTIV. The tests are part […]

Is Antwerp-based e-truckmaker Windrose facing bankruptcy? 

August 22, 2025

Windrose Technology, the Chinese electric truck developer headquartered in Antwerp, might face insolvency. One of its senior executives publicly accused the company of failing to pay employees, while staging misleading announcements. Windrose’s Director of Customer Success and Operations, Kyle Maki, wrote on LinkedIn that the company is now 90 days behind on payroll and has […]

KTM sells its car division to Belgian Verlinvest

August 22, 2025

The Austrian motorcycle and sports car manufacturer KTM is in dire straits. It has to reorganize and sell its car division to Verlinvest, the investing firm of the well-known Belgian family De Mevius. KTM is known as a motorcycle manufacturer, but twenty years ago, it launched the X-Bow, a barchetta-style open sports car designed to […]

Volvo Car Gent scraps its bus services for employees

August 22, 2025

From January 2026, Volvo Car Gent will discontinue its own bus transport service for its approximately 6,500 employees. The decision to terminate the private bus service comes as no surprise: only 98 employees still use the service. The bus service had, therefore, become too expensive to continue. Together with the personnel department, a solution is […]

Greenpeace: flying in EU is ‘shockingly’ encouraged

August 21, 2025

The most polluting way to travel is almost always the cheapest. Or: Trains are often slightly cheaper than planes. It’s a matter of interpretation or wording, but these are two headlines about a new Greenpeace study on the fact that flying in Europe is cheaper than talking the train in more than half of all […]

100,000 EV charging points in Belgium

August 21, 2025

This summer, Belgium has 100,000 public charging points in the country, possibly providing energy for over 380,000 fully electric cars and 270,000 PHEVs driving on Belgian roads. This puts Belgium in third place across Europe when looking at the availability of charging points per inhabitant. Belgium now has 7.6 charging points per 1,000 inhabitants; only […]

Bruges is unfolding as Belgium’s largest cycling zone

August 20, 2025

As of October 1st, the city of Bruges will designate almost the entire city center as a cycling zone. The current 90 ‘bicycle streets’ will be expanded by an additional 300. Only the access roads to the city and the De Lijn route will be excluded from the expansion of the bicycle zone. This is […]

Belgian CMB.TECH and Norwegian Golden Ocean mega-merger finalized

August 20, 2025

The Antwerp-based maritime group CMB.TECH is acquiring Golden Ocean, the Norwegian dry bulk shipping company. The acquisition, not a traditional cash acquisition but a merger through a share exchange, was approved yesterday by Golden Ocean’s shareholders during an extraordinary general meeting in Hamilton, Bermuda’s capital. The merger will make CMB.TECH one of the largest listed […]

Widening Brussels Ring Road continues to meet government resistance

August 19, 2025

The Brussels Ring Road is only 75 km long, but it can be seen as a symbol of Belgium’s communal complexity. The Works Association (De Werkvennootschap), an entity within the Flemish government established to tackle complex projects, has just reached an agreement with the environmental organization Dryade on the redevelopment of the Brussels Ring Road, […]

From Belgian comics to cars: Geely debuts the Smurf micro-EV

August 18, 2025

Geely Group’s Livan Automotive has pulled the covers off its latest entry in China’s booming micro-EV segment. It bears a name that is all too familiar to the Belgian public: the Livan Smurf, named after the beloved comic characters from Peyo, is a compact, four-seat hatchback priced to compete directly with bestsellers like the Wuling […]

Brussels e-bike manufacturer Cowboy in dire straits? (update)

August 14, 2025

Cowboy, the Brussels-based manufacturer of trendy, usually dark black electric bikes, has always been surrounded by a certain amount of financial haze. The recall of the C4 ST (Edition MR) model in early May due to the risk of frame breakage has once again thrown the company into turmoil. There is even talk of a new […]

Securail agents face prosecution after violent ‘racist’ incident

August 14, 2025

The Brussels public prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation into an incident at Brussels North train station in which Securail agents allegedly assaulted a woman of African origin. According to the public prosecutor’s office, blows were inflicted by both a Securail officer and another person involved in the incident. Both are now under investigation, but […]

Are EV totems the future of charging – or just a taller way to sell ads?

August 13, 2025

A new kind of charging station is cropping up in the US — and you can’t miss it. Quite literally. Dubbed ‘EV totems’, these tall poles pair electric vehicle chargers with high-definition advertising screens mounted several meters above the ground. The idea is part infrastructure upgrade, part digital billboard. Blink, the American firm rolling out […]

Arval: ‘Smaller BEVs lead the company cars ranking’

August 13, 2025

According to Arval Mobility Observatory, three smaller BEVs lead the list of most ordered company cars at leasing and mobility solutions company Arval. Although the BMW iX1 remained the number one in the second half of 2024, it has now been overtaken by the Kia EV3 and the Skoda Enyaq. “We knew these smaller BEVs […]

Work starts on new 6.5 km cycle highway Anderlecht-Laeken

August 12, 2025

Brussels is getting a new cycle highway: the C223 will connect Bockstael (Laeken) with the former Kuregem station (Anderlecht) along railway line 28, which runs between Schaerbeek station and Brussels-South. The 6.5 km long cycle and walking path, which is being constructed just now by the Brussels public works contractor Beliris, crosses five municipalities: the […]

Toyota to withdraw Prius from Dutch market after nearly three decades

August 12, 2025

After 28 years, the curtain is coming down in the Netherlands on one of the world’s most iconic hybrids: the Toyota Prius. From September, the model will be removed from the line-up. Outside the Netherlands, the Prius will remain in production and on sale. The decision draws particular attention as the current generation of the […]

Annual record of negative current price already broken in mid-summer

August 11, 2025

Summer is only halfway over, but last Sunday, last year’s Belgian record of 408 hours of negative electricity prices was broken. This means that once again, we generated more electricity than we consumed, causing the price to drop so much that it fell below zero euros. A significant factor contributing to these frequent negative prices […]

Engie launches Flémalle’s ‘climate neutral’ gas-fired power plant

August 11, 2025

Energy company Engie has successfully fired up its new combined-cycle gas turbine (CCGT) power plant in Flémalle, near Liège, for the first time, completing extensive tests of all essential systems. The first ignition marks the transition from the construction phase to the operational testing phase. By November, the plant is expected to add approximately 875 […]

Belgium’s trains ran more punctually in July, but there is a catch

August 08, 2025

The trains of the Belgian public railway company NMBS/SNCB ran more punctually in July compared to a year ago. In July, 93,4% of trains arrived on time or with a maximum delay of 6 minutes in Brussels or at their destination. This means that punctuality was higher than in July last year, when it was […]

Belgian train driver posts live on TikTok and gets sacked

August 08, 2025

The Belgian public railway company NMBS/SNCB has dismissed a train driver for posting a live video on TikTok while driving a train. This was reported by the newspaper Le Soir, among others. Or how a well-intentioned “proportional initiative”, according to the train driver, turned into a personal nightmare. According to the newspapers, the incident dates to […]

Febetra: Belgian haulers struggle to maintain foothold in EU market

August 07, 2025

Belgian road transport companies are losing ground in the European long-distance freight sector. The findings are based on new data released by Eurostat and highlighted by the Belgian transport federation Febetra. The trend is worrying as the country’s strategic central location makes it a natural logistics hub for the continent. The picture painted by the […]

Xpeng’s new P7 surges: 10,000 orders in under seven minutes

August 07, 2025

Chinese electric vehicle maker Xpeng has set a new internal sales record with the launch of its new-generation P7 saloon, drawing more than 10,000 pre-orders just 6 minutes and 37 seconds after bookings opened. The response marks the fastest uptake for any Xpeng model to date. It highlights Xpeng as a new force to be […]

700-meter-long work train renovates Leuven-Liège high-speed line

August 06, 2025

Until 17 August, Belgian rail network operator Infrabel will be renewing 24 km of sleepers on the section between Hoegaarden and Pousset. The company is using a 700-meter-long mega work train for this to replace around 40,000 sleepers. This Austrian work train, weighing 1,600 tons, travels across Europe to undertake massive construction projects. This is […]

Lufthansa profits double, Air France-KLM turnover quadruples

August 01, 2025

Lufthansa more than doubled its profits in the second quarter of this year despite recent trade tensions. “The Lufthansa Group remains on track,” says CEO Carsten Spohr, referring to the net profit of 1.2 billion euros. Air France-KLM also reported significantly higher profits in the past quarter compared to the same period a year earlier. […]

MIVB/STIB pinpoints noise pollution caused by M7 metro trains

July 30, 2025

Eureka moment at MIVB/STIB: the Brussels public transport company has made a breakthrough in the issue of noise pollution caused by the wheels of the new M7 metro trains. The wheel manufacturer has developed new wheels that meet strict technical criteria. Production has already started, and delivery is scheduled for the last quarter of 2025, […]

Bpost buys another 500 e-vans bringing total to over 3,000

July 30, 2025

Belgian postal services, Bpost, has ordered 500 new electric vehicles, which are expected to arrive in the fall. As a result, the postal company’s fleet of EVs will soon exceed 3,000 units. According to the company, this makes Bpost’s fleet not only the most significant operational fleet in Belgium, but also the greenest. As a […]

Up to €270 million in Flemish climate subsidies go to major polluters

July 29, 2025

It was already known that the Flemish government provides compensation support to major CO2 emitters. But according to the newspaper De Standaard, that support has increased from 36 million euros in 2019 to almost 270 million euros today. The top 10 beneficiaries include large companies, such as ArcelorMittal, BASF, ExxonMobil, and TotalEnergies. The support concerns the […]

Qatar threatens to cut off LNG gas supplies to Europe

July 28, 2025

Qatar is threatening to stop gas supplies to the European Union. The threat comes in response to the European duty of care law on forced labor and environmental damage. This is evident from a letter from Qatar to the Belgian government, which was seen by Reuters news agency. Qatar is the world’s third-largest exporter of […]

Liège-Verviers railway line closed for a month for major modernization

July 28, 2025

Train services between Liège-Guillemins and Verviers will be suspended entirely from today until Sunday, 24 August. Infrabel is starting a major modernization project on line 37. The works include the renewal of points, tracks, overhead lines, and signaling. Certain bridges will also be renovated, including a bridge in Pepinster that was severely damaged by the […]

NMBS/SNCB holds firm in choosing Spanish CAF’s 600 new trains

July 24, 2025

The Board of directors of the Belgian public railroad company NMBS/SNCB has finally chosen Spanish train builder CAF (Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles) as the preferred bidder for the supply of new train carriages. It concerns a contract for up to 600 new train sets by 2034, for an estimated sum of between €1.7 billion […]

New 20-year permit for Charleroi and Liège airports

July 23, 2025

Charleroi Airport has received a new environmental permit from the Walloon government. The permit for Brussels South Charleroi Airport is valid for 20 years. The cargo-specialized Liège Airport has also received a new environmental permit. The new permit comes with several conditions related to noise pollution and the environment. Adjusted noise rules and quota to […]

Ailing rail freight operator Lineas gets €61 million from Belgian government

July 22, 2025

The Belgian government is proposing a 61 million euro rescue package for Lineas, Europe’s largest private rail freight operator. Without that convertible loan, a loan that can be converted into shares of the company, bankruptcy is looming for the Belgian company. The loan will be made through SFPIM, the Sovereign Wealth Fund of Belgium. That […]

Renewed Belgian fly tax makes plane ticket up to 3€ more expensive

July 22, 2025

As part of the summer agreement, the Belgian government, under the leadership of Bart De Wever (N-VA), has approved the renewal of the boarding tax on flights. This is what the newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws reports. The agreement also confirms that the tax applies retroactively: even those who have already purchased their ticket may be […]

Battle over Brussels Airport’s annulled permit continues

July 18, 2025

The new environmental permit for Brussels Airport has been annulled by the Council for Permit Disputes, an independent Flemish administrative court. The Council thereby agrees with Brussels Airlines. The airline found that the stricter environmental conditions, including an annual ceiling on the number of flight movements and the tightening of night flights, restricted its operations […]

Walloons have problems with rules on traffic circles

July 17, 2025

Walloon drivers are generally unfamiliar with the specific rules governing priority at roundabouts, also known as traffic circles. This is what the Walloon Road Safety Agency (AWSR) warns about. In Wallonia, about 140 accidents involving deaths and injuries occur each year at traffic circles. Cyclists and motorcyclists are particularly vulnerable in this situation because they […]

Flanders announces major infrastructure investment plans

July 16, 2025

The Flemish government has reached an agreement on infrastructure investments related to mobility for the coming years. During the remaining years of the legislature, Flemish Minister of Mobility Annick De Ridder (N-VA) plans to allocate 2.2 billion euros per year for infrastructure to boost mobility. Among the most important projects are the Limburg North-South Connection, […]

Ford Belgium offers fully electric cargo conversion for Explorer SUV

July 16, 2025

Looking for a comfortable electric van with lots of range, but no need for a high payload? Ford has you covered with the new Explorer Cargo, a van conversion of the electric SUV. It’s available for both new and existing models, and is performed by a Belgian specialist. The Ford Explorer is the Blue Oval’s […]

Sabena Engineering inaugurates new hangar at Brussels Airport

July 15, 2025

The aircraft maintenance company Sabena Engineering has inaugurated a new hangar at Brussels Airport. Among other things, it will take care of the Belgian army’s A400M military transport aircraft. The hangar has a surface area of 6,000 m². The first aircraft will be able to be serviced there by the end of the summer. Sabena […]

Brabo III to provide Port of Antwerp much-needed extra power

July 15, 2025

System operator Elia has put the finishing touches to the high-voltage BRABO III grid. The new grid is almost complete with the completion of mast number 58. It should be effectively powered by early 2026, which will support industry in the Port of Antwerp. “This reinforcement is necessary because demand for electricity in the port […]

Belux market electrifies further in first half of 2025

July 15, 2025

According to the analysis of sector federations Febiac and Traxio, the Belgian car market saw 608,426 cars sold in the first half of 2025. 234,616 of them were new ones (-10.9%), 373,810 were second-hand (+0.9%). In both markets, electrification evolves further. BMW and Dacia are the winners when looking at the specific models. With the […]

International train travel booms at NMBS/SNCB

July 14, 2025

The number of international train travelers at the Belgian public railroad company NMBS/SNCB is increasing year after year. Since 2019, the number of bookings through NMBS/SNCB International has risen by over 50%. The most popular countries are France, the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. NMBS/SNCB sells tickets to more […]

Justice Minister Verlinden makes ‘traffic manslaughter’ a criminal offence

July 11, 2025

Today, Minister of Justice Annelies Verlinden (CD&V) will present a bill to introduce ‘traffic manslaughter’ as a criminal offense. The term ‘traffic manslaughter’ is introduced as a new criminal law concept. This is a terminological change, but it also entails heavier penalties in certain circumstances. Anyone who causes a fatal traffic accident in Belgium faces a […]

Inglorious new record for NMBS/SNCB: highest number of cancelled trains

July 11, 2025

With 4,070 abolished trains per month in the first half of the year, the Belgian public railroad company NMBS/SNCB scored a new record, but one of the kinds you prefer not to show off during company presentations or half-yearly overviews. The same period in 2023, the previous record year, involved 4,016 trips per month. In […]

Brussels ombudsman wants more flexibility in dealing with LEZ

July 10, 2025

Ombuds Brussels, the institution responsible for overseeing good governance in the Brussels Region, has launched several concrete proposals aimed at increasing consideration of vulnerable groups about the low-emission zone (LEZ). For example, Ombuds advocates that it should be possible to buy a day pass through non-digital channels. Additionally, all violators should receive a warning before […]

NMBS/SNCB puts Londerzeel station up for sale

July 10, 2025

The Belgian public railroad company NMBS/SNCB has put the former station building of Londerzeel up for sale through its real estate platform. The setting price for the building with a land area of 277 m² is 245,000 euros. The municipality of Londerzeel, in Flemish Brabant, is pleased that NMBS/SNCB is finally taking steps to give […]

French court gives green light for acquisition of McPhy by Cockerill

July 09, 2025

Walloon industrial group John Cockerill has received approval from the Belfort Commercial Court for its acquisition of McPhy. That French company produces electrolyzers to produce green hydrogen, which can be used, among other things, as fuel for various modes of transportation. With the acquisition, John Cockerill Hydrogen aims to create a world champion in hydrogen […]

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