January 28, 2026
Belgium has raised its ambitions in its National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP), but still needs to make further efforts in renewable energy and energy efficiency in the coming years. But for the time being, the country will not be presented with a multi-million dollar bill. If an EU member state fails to reduce its CO2 […]
January 26, 2026
The company car system in Belgium is a unique phenomenon. And although the system is popular with users, it also attracts significant criticism, partly because it costs 4 billion euros a year. Brussels Groen leader and Brussels Minister of Mobility Elke Van den Brandt wants this tax money used to fund train passes costing €12 […]
January 26, 2026
Throughout the week, fewer trains than usual will be running in Belgium due to a new five-day rail strike that began on Sunday evening. The national solidarity action in Brussels against the socio-economic policy of the current Arizona coalition government may also disrupt various bus, tram, and metro lines operated by De Lijn in Flanders, MIVB/STIB […]
January 23, 2026
It’s not a title to be proud of, and certainly not something to boast about to visitors or travelers, but of the approximately 140 major train stations in Belgium, Genk remains the least punctual. The Limburg station is also the only one where, on average, more than two in ten trains were delayed by at […]
January 23, 2026
The Flemish public transport company De Lijn is deploying two autonomous shuttles in Leuven (Louvain). They will operate on line 16, the new line connecting the train station with the station and the borough of Heverlee. According to De Lijn, this is a European first for a public transport company. The Leuven-Heverlee route is approximately 4 […]
January 22, 2026
The city of Amsterdam wants to ban sea cruises from 2035 onward. The Passenger Terminal Amsterdam (PTA) must disappear. It is one of the most far-reaching decisions taken by a major European port city in the debate over cruise tourism, air pollution, and urban space. The departure of the terminal has “clear advantages for sustainability and the […]
January 22, 2026
The Belgian public railway company NMBS/SNCB is launching Mobi 2.0, its updated AI chatbot. The virtual assistant is designed to help train passengers with questions about their journey 24/7. According to NMBS/SNCB, the revamped virtual assistant answers 90% of all questions correctly. The railway company says that it is one of the first large-scale GenAI […]
January 21, 2026
Since the end of last year, passengers with reduced mobility have been able to request assistance at 24 additional NMBS/SNCB-operated stations. This brings the number of stations where this is possible to 174, or approximately one in three, as NMBS/SNCB manages around 555 train stations in Belgium. The stations concerned are Aalter, Antwerp-Luchtbal, Arcaden, Barvaux, […]
January 20, 2026
French railway company SNCF has ordered 15 new high-speed trains from train manufacturer Alstom. The additional trains will be used to expand services between France and Belgium, particularly between major French cities and Brussels. The order is worth 600 million euros. Alstom’s Avelia Horizon very high-speed train is the only double-decker train in the world capable […]
January 19, 2026
Spanish train manufacturer CAF wants to collaborate with Alstom in Bruges to build trainsets for NMBS/SNCB. Alstom lost the contract and unsuccessfully challenged that decision before the Council of State. Trade unions at Alstom Bruges feared that losing the contract would spell the end of the factory. The collaboration between CAF and Alstom Bruges comes […]
January 16, 2026
After 39 days and more than 13,600 kilometers on the open road across Africa, the Grand Electric Trans-African Expedition concluded on Sunday as the team returned to Kampala aboard a fully electric bus designed and built in Uganda, Kiira Motors Corporation’s flagship 13-meter Kayoola EV Model 2025. The journey, which began in November 2025 and […]
January 14, 2026
On Tuesday, the German bus company Flix, parent company of FlixBus, announced the acquisition of a majority share of Flibco, a leading European airport transfer platform currently owned by the Luxembourg company SLG (formerly Sales-Lentz Group). The parties involved did not disclose financial details. The Flibco name will, in any case, be retained after the takeover. […]
January 14, 2026
Eurostar’s high-speed trains carried a record 20 million passengers last year. By investing in new trains and routes, the high-speed train operator, which currently has a monopoly on passenger transport through the Channel Tunnel, aims to reach 30 million passengers in the long term. Compared with 2024, passenger numbers increased by half a million, or just […]
January 13, 2026
After Diamant, Maalbeek/Maelbeek, Stokkel/Stockel, and Ossegem/Osseghem, Brussels metro stations Delta and Herrmann-Debroux on line 5 in Oudergem are also getting a facelift this year. The work is part of Brussels Mobility’s Refresh program. With the Refresh program, Brussels Mobility aims to quickly improve user comfort through targeted interventions, without waiting for a complete renovation. The […]
January 10, 2026
Belgian railway network operator Infrabel is launching Impulse Belgium, a start-up laboratory, according to the business newspaper De Tijd. Through this internal innovation unit, Infrabel aims to focus on projects that enhance the network’s efficiency and safety. Two projects are being put forward: opening their electricity grid to third parties and using AI for railway maintenance. […]
January 08, 2026
Now that many long-term unemployed people in Belgium are losing their allowance, the bus and coach sector is calling on them to become bus drivers. The industry is facing a severe staff shortage and has 530 vacancies. The 374 companies in the sector, united in the FBAA sector federation, are even willing to finance the training. […]
December 23, 2025
Starting next year, fare evaders on the Flemish public transport company De Lijn will pay €127 for a first offense, up from €107 currently. This is the first time in more than ten years that the fines have been increased. More than 2.1 million De Lijn passengers have already been checked this year. On average, […]
December 22, 2025
As widely expected, the board of directors of Belgian railway company NMBS/SNCB has placed its first order for 180 railcars with the controversial Spanish train manufacturer CAF. It concerns an order worth 1.7 billion euros. The choice of CAF caused discontent among competitors such as Siemens and Alstom. At the same time, their involvement in […]
December 19, 2025
The Belgian railway company NMBS/SNCB only launched new fares in October, but another fare change is already on the way. On February 1st, the prices for train tickets and season tickets will be indexed. Tickets will then become 2.14% more expensive, and season tickets 2.60%. However, day tickets for car parking for train passengers and […]
December 17, 2025
Fare evasion on the Belgian railway company NMBS/SNCB is clearly on the rise. This is once again evident from the results of a recent large-scale ticket inspection. We are observing a similar trend in neighboring countries, along with higher fines. However, there is one notable exception: Luxembourg, because traveling by public transport there does not […]
December 15, 2025
MAN Truck & Bus has secured the largest-ever bus tender for German public transport operator Deutsche Bahn. The two companies agreed on a framework for delivering more than 3,000 buses from 2027 to 2032, including a significant share of electric buses. While Belgian public transport operator De Lijn has come under fire for shunning its […]
December 15, 2025
All main lines of the Belgian rail network, covering 6,399 km, are equipped with the ETCS safety system. This train-speed control system continuously monitors speed and intervenes when a train exceeds the speed limit. The rollout by rail network operator Infrabel, which involved installing more than 48,000 beacons in the tracks and equipping more than […]
December 15, 2025
The first urban cable car has been put into service in the Île-de-France region, near Paris. The cable car, reportedly the longest urban cable car in Europe, connects the Pointe-du-Lac stop in Créteil to the Villa-Nova stop in Villeneuve-Saint-Georges in 18 minutes, compared with around 40 minutes by bus or car. The C1 is expected […]
December 12, 2025
French train manufacturer Alstom plans to cut 150 jobs at its factory in Bruges from mid-2026. Earlier this year, Alstom lost out on a large train order from the Belgian public railway company NMBS/SNCB, which opted for the Spanish company CAF. The unions feared that this would lead to job losses at the Bruges factory, […]
December 11, 2025
De Lijn is expanding its e-bus fleet with another 350 vehicles from BYD and Daimler. The BYD buses are the last of a 2023 framework agreement for 500 e-buses, which sparked criticism from Belgian stakeholders for not selecting local bus manufacturers VDL and Van Hool, both of which have since gone bankrupt. The first BYD […]
December 11, 2025
Will we soon be hearing “Bon appétite!” or “Enjoy your meal” a little faster before the British border comes into view on the Eurostar? There’s a good chance of that happening, as the British government has changed the rules on bringing meat and dairy products into the UK as ‘personal luggage’ in response to outbreaks […]
December 09, 2025
In the Brussels municipality of Ukkel/Uccle, the new Carsoel Bridge over the Schaerbeek-Halle railway line has officially been put into service. The new bridge at Sint-Job station looks like a small square and is set to become a central intermodal hub, designed to promote sustainable transport. The revamped mobility project at the station, which welcomes […]
December 01, 2025
Large parts of Brussels North Station have been recognized as monuments. These include the clock tower, the facades in natural stone and beige brick, the large ticket hall “with its monumental U-shaped staircase,” the seven platforms, and the remaining wooden benches on those platforms. The North Station, located in the Brussels municipality of Schaerbeek, was […]
November 28, 2025
While micromobility in Belgium usually slows down from the end of September – due to the weather and shorter days – the Bolt shared e-scooter platform in Antwerp is seeing continued growth, with a record month in October. Since the launch of the fleet of about 1,000 e-scooters in Antwerp in March of this year, usage […]
November 26, 2025
In the Netherlands, air passenger numbers, road traffic, and the use of electric bicycles increased in 2024. And, according to research by the Dutch Knowledge Institute for Mobility Policy (KiM), this trend is expected to continue. In aviation, the number of passengers travelling to, via, or from Dutch airports increased by 7% (from 71.3 million […]
November 21, 2025
Belgian trade unions are organizing three national days of action against government policy on November 24, 25, and 26. On Monday, November 24, they are calling for a rail strike. This will be followed by strikes in all public services and the education sector the next day. Finally, on Wednesday, November 26, the unions are […]
November 19, 2025
The Brussels public transport company MIVB/STIB has taken delivery of the first brand-new Tram New Generation (TNG). This extended 42-meter version will run on the transport network from 2026. Before it can be put into service, the tram still must pass several tests. The tram, built at the Alstom factory in Vienna, arrived at the […]
November 19, 2025
Last year, Belgium’s four public transport companies recorded 5,908 cases of physical and verbal aggression against their staff. That is an average of more than 16 cases per day, or an increase of approximately 5.5% compared to 2023. According to NMBS/SNCB, Flemish De Lijn, Brussels MIVB/STIB, and Walloon LETEC, the number of aggression cases has […]
November 13, 2025
A Dutch court has ruled that the Flemish Region must pay compensation to the Dutch province of Limburg and the municipality of Maastricht because the express tram line between Hasselt in Belgium and Maastricht in the Netherlands will not be built. The Dutch are demanding 19,6 million euros, but the amount of compensation has not […]
November 11, 2025
Twenty-one European airlines have committed to stop making claims in relation to carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions deemed misleading, the European Commission said on Friday. The airlines include some of the largest in Europe, such as Lufthansa (parent company of Brussels Airlines), Ryanair, KLM, and Air France. In May, the Belgian Federal Public Service Economy’s economic inspectorate, […]
November 07, 2025
The European Commission wants to accelerate the rollout of the high-speed rail network by 2040. By significantly reducing travel times between European capitals, rail is set to become a more attractive alternative to short-haul flights. The ambitious plan also includes a new high-speed connection between Lisbon and Paris via Madrid. This would allow train passengers […]
October 31, 2025
Virgin Trains, the railway company owned by British businessman Richard Branson, has received permission from the British regulator, the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), to share a central rail depot in east London, where trains are maintained and parked, with Eurostar. With the application approved, Virgin Trains is removing a significant barrier to the […]
October 30, 2025
The Flemish public transport company De Lijn continues to rack up fines for violations of the low-emission zone (LEZ). In the first six months of this year, it has already paid almost 150,000 euros in fines, more than double the total spent in 2024. De Lijn will also have to pay LEZ fines next year. After […]
October 28, 2025
In the past ten years, the number of tram accidents involving pedestrians in the Brussels-Capital Region has halved. While the MIVB/STIB recorded between 40 and 50 such accidents per year in 2015, the figure for 2024 is 23 collisions. “A promising development,” says the public transport company, “but every accident has potentially serious consequences and […]
October 24, 2025
The Walloon public transport company TEC is reforming its fare structure from February 1st. A single price on the classic lines will replace the zone fares. There will also be an indexation of 2.15%. The current ‘Next’ and ‘Horizon’ tickets will be merged into a single ‘Classic’ ticket that is valid for 90 minutes on […]
October 23, 2025
High-speed train operator Eurostar has ordered 50 trains from French company Alstom. These are double-decker trains, a first for Eurostar. Thanks to their double configuration, with two trains coupled together, they offer more than 1,000 seats per journey while traveling at a maximum speed of 320 km/h. Eurostar needs the trains to open new routes […]
October 21, 2025
The city of Prague has decided to ban shared/rental e-scooters on its territory from January 2026. From that date, shared e-scooter providers will not be allowed to operate unless they have specific contracts. Prague isn’t banning the concept of shared e-scooters entirely; it’s banning unregulated operations. These contracts will specify where vehicles can be parked, […]
October 17, 2025
Eventually, from mid-November, Flemish public transport company De Lijn would be operating self-driving shuttle minibuses to transport passengers between Leuven station and Heverlee. A Belgian first: autonomous vehicles driving in busy city traffic at normal speeds of up to 40 km/h. But more time is needed to fine-tune and becoming fully operational is now postponed […]
October 16, 2025
Securail, the NMBS/SCNB security service, was called upon more than 7,000 times last year to intervene at Brussels South station. This was reported by the newspaper Het Nieuwsblad, among others, based on figures from Minister of Mobility Jean-Luc Crucke (Les Engagés). With an average of 20 interventions per day for incidents in Brussels South, this is […]
October 13, 2025
Tomorrow, Belgian trade unions will mobilize en masse against the Arizona government’s plans. They are hoping for a repeat of 2014, when 100,000 demonstrators turned up to protest, among other things, an index jump. The unions are particularly concerned about the government’s pension reforms, the planned expansion of flexi-jobs, and lower pay for night work. […]
October 10, 2025
The members of Belgium’s largest rail unions have rejected the draft agreement on a modernized statute for rail personnel that the unions had initially agreed with Minister of Mobility Jean-Luc Crucke (Les Engagés). According to the rail unions, there will probably be no new round of negotiations, and the Minister is now free to do […]
October 09, 2025
From December 14th, extra late trains will run from Brussels and Antwerp on Friday and Saturday evenings, sometimes until well after midnight. This has been announced by NMBS/SNCB. At weekends, there will also be more trains between several major cities, such as the suburban S-net around Brussels, Ghent, and Charleroi. The changes have already been […]
October 07, 2025
The announced fare reform at the Belgian public railway company NMBS/SNCB will be launched on October 15. The most significant changes to the ticket offering, the biggest change in 30 years, are fares per kilometer and a discount card. Nothing will change for subscriptions. According to the NMBS/SNCB, the average fare is expected to decrease, […]
October 07, 2025
The Belgian ministers of public transport have long been striving to make Swiss public transport a model for Belgium. Now, progress seems to be being made in implementing some of the ambitions that have made Swiss public transport so successful for many years. Belgium’s four mobility ministers are asking public transport companies to submit a […]
October 02, 2025
The approximately 2,600 employees of the Eurostar high-speed train service have been sporting new uniforms since yesterday. This is the first comprehensive uniform revamp for the company in over a decade. The 54-piece collection reflects the European spirit and is inspired by the various European cities served by Eurostar. In addition to cultural references to […]
October 01, 2025
At the Belgian public railway company NMBS/SNCB, only 6,5% of tickets are still purchased at ticket offices, compared to 50% a decade ago. This is logical, considering that there are only 91 stations with ticket offices left, which are often only open in the mornings. The Mobility Committee is now asking NMBS/SNCB to launch a […]
September 26, 2025
Thanks to an agreement with the Flemish Brabant municipality of Linkebeek, the legal issues surrounding the expansion plans for the Brussels-Nivelles line as part of the Regional Express Network (GEN) have been resolved. Federal Minister of Mobility Jean-Luc Crucke (Les Engages) and Benoît Gilson, CEO of Infrabel, signed an agreement yesterday with the first alderman […]
September 25, 2025
There is no longer any legal obstacle preventing the Belgian public railway company NMBS/SNCB from awarding the contract for the definitive allocation of hundreds of new AM30 trainsets to the Spanish company CAF (Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles). After the Council of State rejected Siemens Mobility’s appeal against the order by German train manufacturer last […]
September 24, 2025
Getting a 4/10 on your report card and still receiving a financial bonus of more than 400,000 euros? That is the outcome of the annual performance report by the Federal Public Service Mobility for the Belgian public railway company NMBS/SNCB. In 2024, NMBS/SNCB achieved its targets for five of the 12 performance indicators, while scoring […]
September 24, 2025
A pilot project has been launched in Antwerp, in which public transport company De Lijn will use AI driver assistance systems on trams to help prevent accidents in the future. The system, developed by the Ghent technology company Otiv, was presented on Tuesday, September 23rd, in Antwerp, in the presence of Minister of Mobility Annick […]
September 23, 2025
For the first time in the history of Deutsche Bahn, a woman will become chair of the board of the German national railway company. That honor goes to Evelyn Palla, who previously headed Deutsche Bahn’s regional train division. In the German business world, it remains relatively rare for women to hold the top position in […]
September 22, 2025
The Belgian public railway company NMBS/SNCB is in a stronger legal position regarding the tendering of new trains. As expected, the Council of State has rejected the appeal by German company Siemens Mobility against NMNS/SNCB’s plans to award an order for hundreds of new trainsets to the Spanish company CAF (Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles). […]
September 19, 2025
The new tram in Liège has been in service since the end of April and is proving to be a resounding success. Although no reliable public sources are immediately available, the newspaper Le Soir reports 100,000 users per week, which would amount to more than 2 million passengers to date. The only downside is that […]
September 17, 2025
The three-country train between Maastricht in the Netherlands, the German city of Aachen, and Liège in Belgium was canceled too often last year and ran late 34% of the time. According to agreements between the Dutch province of Limburg and transport company Arriva, this should be no more than 5%. The main reasons for cancellations […]
September 17, 2025
The Belgian public railway company NMBS/SNCB reportedly orders trains to skip stops an average of five times a day to make up for delays. In six months, more than 900 stops were skipped. It was already known that NMBS/SNCB was applying this practice. For example, the ombudsperson service already mentioned it in its annual report […]
