March 10, 2025
The Belgian Federal Public Service for Economy has won a legal battle against the German transport company Flixbus. As part of a European investigation, the economic inspectorate discovered that Flixbus was guilty of various forms of greenwashing on its Belgian website. This is the first time in Belgium that the FPS Economy has obtained a company’s […]
March 05, 2025
Belgian Trends-Tendances magazine reports that Spanish-listed train builder CAF has won a tender to build hundreds of trains for Belgian railroad company NMBS/SNCB. French player Alstom, which is firmly entrenched in Belgium, missed out on the contract worth more than 3 billion euros, even though it was cheaper than the Spanish competitor. According to La […]
March 05, 2025
Flemish public transport company De Lijn paid more than 70,000 euros in fines last year for violations of low-emission zones (LEZ), a multiple of the 2,350 euros from 2023. A total of 384 fines were involved. Especially Antwerp and Ghent, together with Brussels, the only three active LEZ in Belgium, were mainly responsible. In Antwerp, […]
March 04, 2025
According to the NGO Transport and Environment, almost one in two new buses (49%) sold in Europe in 2024 had zero emissions—electric or hydrogen—exceeding the objectives set by the European Union on CO2 standards for buses and making city buses one of the early success stories of the European Green Deal. Fuel cell buses comprised […]
March 03, 2025
On April 1st, Flemish public transport company De Lijn will adjust its fares. As announced, the prices of all products are going up. A standard ticket will now cost 3 euros instead of 2,50 euros. According to the travelers’ organization TreinTramBus, De Lijn’s increase in fares comes at a terrible time for travelers. “Suddenly, there […]
March 03, 2025
The nine-day railroad strike at Belgian public railroad company NMBS/SNCB has only just ended, and the next one is already coming: some railroad unions have announced 18 strike days over the next five months. The reason for the social unrest at the railway company is the new federal government and its reform plans. These include […]
February 28, 2025
Last year, the Flemish public transport company De Lijn carried 373 million passengers, up 4.5%. According to Director General Ann Schoubs, this increase in passengers immediately proves that the new transportation plan introduced in 2024 has worked. In 2025, 200 new e-buses will be delivered to De Lijn, and a search for 600 new drivers […]
February 24, 2025
The Flemish public transport company De Lijn has placed a new order for charging poles for electric buses. This time, it involves 600 to 900 charging poles from SPIE-Ekoenergetyka with a capacity of 50 to 180 kW, representing an investment of 24.2 million euros. The order is important in preparing De Lijn’s 50 depots to […]
February 20, 2025
Some 77% of passengers who took a bus trip with De Lijn in 2024 are satisfied with their journey. This is according to a survey conducted by the Flemish Department of Mobility among 13,097 passengers between March and December last year. Only 6% of them gave the public transport company a score lower than five […]
February 18, 2025
Flemish Minister of Mobility Annick De Ridder (N-VA) is asking the mayors to act against aggression on De Lijn buses, with a bus ban as the big stick. This measure already exists, but in a letter to the mayors, the Minister brings this possibility more widely to their attention. In 2023, De Lijn received 2,039 […]
February 17, 2025
Belgian public railroad company NMBS/SNCB is going to thoroughly reform its fare range before the end of this year, possibly sometime in October. One of the new things it is launching, is a paying benefit card that offers 40% discount during off-peak hours. In general, season tickets will not change, but 10-ride passes will be […]
February 14, 2025
Fifteen years after the train disaster in the Flemish-Brabant village of Buizingen, the rollout of the rail safety system ETCS, a train cruise control, is almost complete. The rollout was accelerated after the disaster, which killed 19 people. As of the end of this year, no trains not equipped with this cruise control will be […]
February 13, 2025
Flemish public transport company De Lijn will pass on the index of recent years in the fare framework. Minister of Mobility Annick De Ridder (N-VA) confirmed this in the Flemish Parliament. Usually, an average ticket becomes 18% more expensive in April, so a ride will no longer cost 2.5 euros but 3 euros. With the […]
February 12, 2025
Last year, travelers offset their air travel emissions by purchasing approximately 28,000 tons of CO2 equivalents (CO2e) through the Brussels-based climate consultancy agency Greentripper. The organization uses ‘CO2 equivalent’ because this takes into account all greenhouse gases, not just CO2. According to Greentripper’s data, last year’s result is a status quo compared to 2023. The precise […]
February 12, 2025
Whether the action can count on much sympathy remains to be seen, but the trade unions VSOA Spoor and OVS have submitted notices for a railway strike of no less than nine days, from 21 February at 10 pm to 2 March at 10 pm. The strike is mainly directed against a number of measures […]
February 11, 2025
Nowhere is train traffic less punctual than in Genk (Flanders) and Rixensart (Wallonia). In 2024, NMBS/SNCB scored an overall punctuality score of 90%. That is, nine out of ten trains arrived at their destination “with less than six minutes delay”. However, Genk’s punctuality rate is only 75.7%. One in four trains arrives in Genk with […]
February 11, 2025
Five people were killed, and nine were seriously injured: that is a painful record of accidents last year at level crossings in Belgium. In total, there were 30 accidents, one less than in 2023. According to rail infrastructure manager Infrabel, the balance is clearly in decline. During the 2008-2021 period, for example, there were an […]
February 06, 2025
The last locomotive built in Belgium, the so-called “2160,” has been saved from scrapping, according to the newspaper Le Soir. The unit, initially sold to a scrap dealer, is moving to the Musée de Chemin de Fer à Vapeur des Trois Vallées in Treignes, in the province of Namur. Anyone who now thinks that the […]
February 05, 2025
At Ypto, the IT company of the Belgian public railway company NMBS/SNCB, consultants have been awarded lucrative contracts without public tender for years. This appears from an investigation by the Treasury, reports the newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws. In a reaction, the NMBS/SNCB states that it has already taken measures at its IT subsidiary Ypto over […]
February 05, 2025
There will not be a train station at Charleroi Airport after all. That is what the new Minister of Mobility, Climate and Environmental Transition Jean-Luc Crucke (ex MR, but Les Engagés since 2023) told his predecessor Georges Gilkinet (Ecolo) during the power transfer. “It would cost way too much. We cannot spend public money this […]
February 04, 2025
From March 3rd, a lane on the Paris ‘périphérique’ will be reserved for carpool cars, security services, and public transport. Only cars with at least two occupants, public transport vehicles (buses and taxis), emergency services, and persons with reduced mobility are allowed to drive in the left lane of the Paris Ring Road. The rule […]
February 03, 2025
Flemish shared bike provider Blue-bike, owned by public transport operator De Lijn, experienced its most vigorous membership growth last year since its inception in 2011. The more than 45,000 members also made a record number of rides, at just over 377,000. Blue-bike, known for the slogan ‘Always a bike at the tip of your fingers,’ […]
January 31, 2025
The city of Brussels wants to strengthen its nighttime transport offering by making the shared nighttime cab service Collecto more visible. The city announced this during a press conference on Thursday afternoon to present the partnership between the two. For this occasion, Collecto was given a new look. Collecto is a collective taxi service available […]
January 28, 2025
Due to track works, there will be fewer trains to Brussels Airport train station from February 1st to 21st and the weekend of March 1st and 2nd. A transfer or bus connection will be necessary for specific trips. Railroad manager Infrabel is renewing the tracks in Zaventem for the airport connection. In addition, a switch […]
January 28, 2025
Belgian Paralympic boccia player Francis Rombouts has filed a lawsuit against the public railroad company NMBS/SNCB because he cannot take the train in his hometown of Tielen. The case, dragging on for years, was heard yesterday at the Brussels Court of Appeal. And to make it even more painful, Rombouts could not enter the courtroom […]
January 23, 2025
According to the Chinese bus industry website Chinabuses.org, Chinese manufacturers exported more than 15,000 ‘New Energy’ buses in 2024, including electric, plug-in hybrid, and hydrogen fuel cell buses. This represents an increase of 28.33% over 2023, with a sharp upswing in December 2024 alone. BYD is, like with new-energy passenger cars, the biggest manufacturer and […]
January 23, 2025
According to formateur Bart De Wever (N-VA), the so-called ‘Arizona coalition’ is gradually entering the final straight line for forming a new federal government. One notable mobility measure on the table is that Charleroi Airport would get a connection to the rail network. This is according to a leak to the newspaper La Libre Belgique, […]
January 22, 2025
Figures requested by Flemish member of parliament An Christaens (CD&V) show that the public transport company De Lijn has more than 300 buses with more than 1 million kilometers on the counter. Because of this outdated bus fleet, De Lijn is increasingly struggling with technical problems, and passengers are paying the toll. De Lijn has […]
January 16, 2025
Belgian public railroad company NMBS/SNCB carried some 245 million train passengers last year, almost half a million more than in 2023. It is thus approaching the record number of 253 million passengers in 2019, indicating a solid recovery after Covid-19. However, introducing the new timetable continues to cause discontent and dissatisfied travelers here and there. […]
January 10, 2025
The Belgian railroad company NMBS/SNCB’s train punctuality reached 89.7% last year, an improvement of 2.2% compared to 2023 when it had fallen to its lowest level in five years. This puts punctuality back on the course agreed with the federal government. But at just under 46,000, the number of canceled trains remains high. 9 out […]
January 07, 2025
Between 2017 and 2024, the modal share of the car in Wallonia dropped from 83% to 71.4%, although the car remains the most popular means of travel there, as just under three-quarters of trips were made by car. This is according to figures from the FPS Mobility and the Walloon statistics office Iweps. Attempts to […]
December 20, 2024
The Belgian and French railroads have inaugurated the first run of a new conventional train connection between Brussels and Paris. The journey will take three hours with the new connection, operated by OUIGO, SNCF’s low-cost brand, compared to 1h22 with Eurostar. A ticket is available for 10 euros one way. With this new connection, NMBS/SNCB […]
December 19, 2024
Brussels Airport expects to handle a record number of passengers this Christmas vacation. According to the airport in Zaventem, that number would fly above the million for the first time. The start of the vacation, Friday, December 20th, will be the busiest day with 72,000 passengers, according to the airport. This will involve some 40,000 […]
December 17, 2024
For the first time, on Monday, high-speed trains connected Paris and Berlin. Deutsche Bahn’s ICE high-speed trains, which have 444 seats, make the daily connection, which will take about eight hours. The new line is not the first direct connection between Berlin and Paris. Since the end of 2023, there has also been a night […]
December 17, 2024
Tomorrow, the first train will enter Mons’ renovated station with its new ‘Gare-Passerelle,’ or walkway station. The new footbridge, an 182-meter-long metal structure weighing 5,200 tons, is the eye-catcher of the building designed by the famous Spanish architect Calatrava. The official inauguration, in turn, is scheduled for January 31, 2025. The imposing project was delayed […]
December 16, 2024
NMBS/SNCB’s new timetable has been in effect since Sunday, although today, due to the many commuters on the first working day of the week, provides the first real major test. The Belgian public railroad company’s offer is expanding by almost 2% to 85,6 million km per year, and more than 200 abolished rides are returning. […]
December 10, 2024
Flemish public transport company De Lijn is now deploying two advanced simulators during basic training for tram drivers. “This way, our people learn in a safe environment how to deal with numerous obstacles they may encounter on the road,” says the transport company, which trains some 200 streetcar drivers annually. The simulator looks just like […]
December 09, 2024
Italian rail operator Trenitalia, Swiss operator SBB, and Czech carrier RegioJet top a new ranking of European railway companies. The study was conducted by the NGO Transport & Environment (T&E), which advocates for more environmentally friendly transport. The Belgian railway company NMBS/SNCB ranks in the middle. France’s Ouigo, Greece’s Hellenic Trains, and Eurostar close the […]
December 06, 2024
Almost half of Belgians, 47%, never take the train, according to the survey ‘Accessibility of transport in Belgium 2024’ by the Federal Public Service Mobility. The same goes for the bus: 44% of Belgians never take the bus. Although more than eight in 10 respondents regularly use the car every week (82%), only one in […]
December 04, 2024
The new UK government is putting its money where its mouth is: the private rail company Southern Western Railways will become a public transport company again. After all, before the election, Labour had indicated that if the party would be again in government, it would nationalize the entire UK train network within five years. “Our […]
December 03, 2024
According to a new ranking by Transport & Environment (T&E), only 10 out of 77 airlines are making noteworthy efforts to switch to sustainable alternatives to fossil kerosene. The remaining 67 are either buying too few sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs), the wrong kind of SAFs, or are not considering SAFs at all in their decarbonization […]
December 03, 2024
On New Year’s Eve, Flemish public transport company De Lijn is offering a 2,5 euros ticket that is valid all night. With the so-called party buses and trams, De Lijn aims to take travelers to their destinations in complete safety all night long. Some lines follow their familiar route, while others have been specially adapted. […]
November 25, 2024
In no other European country is rail travel more popular than in Switzerland. Last year, the Swiss traveled an average of 2,466 km by rail and took the train a whopping 68 times. Worldwide, only the Japanese travel more by train. That Switzerland remains the European champion of train travel it owes to a dense […]
November 20, 2024
Following orders for e-buses from VDL Bus & Coach, Van Hool, and Chinese BYD, the Flemish public transport company De Lijn has again ordered similar buses from Italian Iveco. The order involves 32 18-meter articulated e-buses. Earlier, De Lijn ordered 109 similar buses from Iveco. The first vehicles from that order will be delivered this […]
November 20, 2024
The Brussels ombudsman office wants MIVB/STIB to curb noise pollution caused by defective wheels on M7 subway trains. The appeal comes after an investigation following a complaint from a resident of Woluwe-Saint-Lambert/Sint-Lambrechts-Woluwe about noise pollution from the metro. According to Ombuds Brussels, the MIVB/STIB, the future Brussels government, and the public institution Brussels Environment must […]
November 20, 2024
Daimler Buses presented its first electric high-floor intercity bus at the 2024 eMobility Days in Berlin: the Mercedes eIntouro. It is based on the diesel-powered Intouro but features the latest generation of LFP batteries and over-the-air updates and will be available to order from 2025. After conquering the low-floor electric city bus market with the […]
November 19, 2024
The Dutch province of Zeeland wants to replace the Westerschelde Ferries, which currently sail across the Western Scheldt, with zero-emission ferries. Hybrid ships (diesel/electric) are also being considered. The States of Zeeland unanimously agreed to that proposal on Friday. The two ships currently transporting cyclists and pedestrians between Vlissingen and Breskens are approaching the end […]
November 18, 2024
Exactly one year after its launch, 350,000 digital Brupass, and Brupass XL tickets have already been sold to nearly 125,000 customers for public transport in the 19 Brussels municipalities and the Flemish periphery. These digital tickets allow travelers to use the public transport network of the Brussels transport company MIVB/STIB, the railroad company MIVB/SNCB, and […]
November 18, 2024
The Flemish public transport company De Lijn is adjusting its offer as of January 6th. Due to driver and equipment shortages, the offer will be reduced in several regions to guarantee a more reliable service. At the same time, changes are also planned in Leuven, Mechelen, the Flemish periphery around Brussels, Kempen, and Antwerp. About […]
November 15, 2024
Solaris, the Polish manufacturer of public transport vehicles (buses, trolleybuses, and trams), has won a tender to deliver 45 double-articulated electric buses that will be integrated into the transport network of Liège (Belgium). The ‘Urbino 24′ buses are exceptional for their length and metro-style design. It’s the largest tender to date for Solaris’s double-articulated buses. […]
November 13, 2024
Eurostar celebrates its 30th anniversary on Thursday. On November 14, 1994, Eurostar’s high-speed trains carried passengers through the Channel Tunnel between the United Kingdom and mainland Europe for the first time. Eurostar has become a significant player in the European rail landscape in three decades, carrying more than 380 million passengers. To 30 million passengers […]
November 07, 2024
Mobility platform Bolt has launched a ‘premium’ ride-hailing fleet in the Brussels Capital Region, totaling some 30 bright green Tesla cars. With this initiative, part of a large-scale European initiative, Bolt hopes to support fleet owners in shifting to EVs. “We are excited to introduce more electric vehicles on our platform in Brussels,” says Paddy […]
October 31, 2024
Rail passenger traffic in the European Union reached a record last year if you look only at the number of passenger kilometers, according to data from the European statistics office Eurostat. In 2023, 8 billion passengers used trains in the EU. Thus, the dip initiated by the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 was also eliminated for […]
October 30, 2024
The new Walloon Minister of Mobility, François Desquesnes (Les Engagés), wants to rebalance the prices of the public transport company TEC between different age groups. Currently, 18- to 24-year-olds pay only 12 euros a year for a season ticket, or one euro a month, while 12-17-year-olds pay much more. It is expected that free or […]
October 28, 2024
In Ghent, the Flemish public transport company De Lijn is testing an anti-slip coating on metal covers and switch rails to make streetcar tracks safer for cyclists. Several media outlets, including the newspaper Het Nieuwsblad, are reporting this. De Lijn will now continue monitoring and evaluating the pilot project. As every city cyclist has already […]
October 25, 2024
The number of accidents between vehicles of the Brussels public transport company MIVB/STIB and two-wheelers decreased by 20% in 2023. MIVB/STIB describes this as “an encouraging result” and is launching a new awareness campaign. The cheering message comes at a rather unfortunate time. Yesterday in Genk, in the province of Limburg, a 15-year-old girl was […]
October 23, 2024
Autoservizi Troiani, an Italian public transport operator, has ordered 110 electric Mercedes-Benz eCitaro buses to deploy in the east part of Rome, which will all be delivered by mid-2026. Part of these e-buses will use the “next-generation” NMC4 batteries, which promise more range and a longer lifespan. Autoservizi Troiani first ordered 40 hybrid Mercedes Citaro […]
October 18, 2024
Since yesterday, ticket sales have started for the faster trains that will run between Brussels and Amsterdam from mid-December. From Brussels to Amsterdam, a ticket for the new Eurocity Direct costs between 25 and 64,1 euros, and to Rotterdam on the Eurocity, it costs between 13,1 and 32,7 euros. However, the passenger organization TreinTramBus is […]
October 14, 2024
The Flemish public transport company De Lijn’s bus and tram tickets can now be paid with eco vouchers at the vending machines. This applies to single tickets and De Lijn cards of 10 or 50 journeys. However, for the time being, paying with eco vouchers on the tram, bus, or via the app is impossible. […]
October 11, 2024
The Flemish public transport company De Lijn will introduce six new emission-free minibusses to the Mechelen city network after the autumn vacations. These busses are more compact and run entirely electrically. The new buses, costing 350,000 euros each, have been ordered from Chinese manufacturer Yes-EU. After the seven Yes-EU midi e-buses already in service in […]
