February 16, 2024
NMBS/SNCB has presented the first of 130 autonomously accessible M7 double-decker carriages at train builder Alstom in Bruges. The Belgian railway company wants passengers with reduced mobility, including wheelchair users, to be able to travel independently by train from the purchase of their ticket to their destination. “Besides safe and comfortable transport, accessibility is also […]
February 16, 2024
Since this Wednesday, February 14th, the Uber application has been available in three large Walloon cities: Liège, Namur, and Mons. Ten years after its establishment in Flanders and Brussels, the American company of independent drivers is expanding its services in the south of the country. However, the service only allows you to book ‘traditional’ taxis. […]
February 15, 2024
According to the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) latest ‘Vehicles on European Roads’ report, there were 252 million cars on European roads in 2022, a 1% increase from the previous year. But despite battery-electric sales reaching ‘all-time highs’ in 2022, only 1.2% of cars on EU roads are battery-electric. Only six countries had a share […]
February 12, 2024
The Belgian railway company NMBS/SNCB is developing a new fare range. Consequently, some current tickets with a fixed price – for seniors or youngsters – will no longer be available. Senior organizations fear that train travel will become too expensive for seniors in the future. Today, people over 65 pay a fixed price: 8.30 euros […]
February 12, 2024
The Walloon government has decided to extend Liège’s tramway network to Seraing (Jemeppe) despite its high price tag. The extension, excluding the actual streetcars running on it, was originally planned to cost 105 million euros. The works would now cost 355 million euros. Three new bids, still to be negotiated, have been submitted for the […]
February 09, 2024
Starting December 15th, Dutch Railways NS plans to run 1,600 more weekly trains than the current timetable. The aim is to better and more often connect various regions of the Netherlands, both during the day and at earlier and later times. It is the most significant change for NS in years. The number of intercity […]
February 09, 2024
The Belgian producer of digital display solutions, Q-lite, will install up to 500 digital bus stop displays for De Lijn throughout Flanders. That is what both companies announced on Thursday. These new digital information screens will replace the old stop devices that have reached the end of their lifespan. Q-lite will produce and install the […]
February 05, 2024
Last year, staff at the Walloon public transport company TEC faced almost three times more aggression cases than in 2015. Staff in the Liège-Verviers region spontaneously stopped work last week after several cases of aggression—the strike continuous today. Between 2015 and 2023, the number of cases of aggression on Walloon public transport rose from 56 […]
February 02, 2024
The Brussels government is going to increase the Bruxell’Air premium. The increase should encourage Brussels residents to eliminate their number plates and switch to more sustainable transport. In Ghent, you can also get a premium if your number plate is scrapped. Last year, the city received over 200 applications for a 500-euro compensation. On the […]
February 01, 2024
From 1 February, Belgian public railway company NMBS/SNCB is raising most fares by 5,9%. These include the prices of standard tickets, season tickets, and multi-journey tickets. Last year, fares had also risen sharply, then by some 9% on average. According to NMBS/SNCB, in line with the public service contract with the government, the higher prices […]
January 31, 2024
Last year, Belgian public railway company NMBS/SNCB carried 244 million train passengers, 7% more than in 2022. After the Covid-19 years, this is the second consecutive year of growth. Mobility Minister Georges Gilkinet (Ecolo) says the figures confirm “that we are on the right track, even if there is still work to be done, especially […]
January 30, 2024
Belgium will not have a sharp increase in taxes on fossil company cars. After much wrangling, the federal government has agreed on the benefit in kind for diesel and gasoline company cars. The government reached a deal by linking other dossiers to that of company cars. Thus, the annual ceiling of the bicycle allowance will […]
January 29, 2024
Flemish public transport operator De Lijn is pulling plans for self-driving buses in cities off the ice again. A pilot project will be developed in Leuven to have an operational connection by 2026. There is talk of 15 to 20 vehicles in an initial phase, possibly expanding to 80. So, this is not the first […]
January 25, 2024
In 2023, Eurostar’s high-speed trains carried a quarter more passengers. The number of travelers increased in one year from 14,8 million in 2022 to 18,6 million or almost as many as before the coronavirus pandemic – 19 million in 2019. One of the explanations for the success was the high demand for tickets to London, […]
January 24, 2024
Engineers of the state-owned railway company Deutsche Bahn started a six-day strike last night, the longest strike ever on German railways. The strike comes because of a long-running dispute over working conditions and pay between DB and union GDL. Train traffic in Germany is expected to come to a virtual standstill. It is now the […]
January 18, 2024
From March 1st, opening hours will change in almost all Belgian railway stations where there are still ticket offices. No ticket office will remain completely closed, but opening hours will be reduced in all but four of the 91 stations where there are still ticket offices. The Belgian public railway company wants to use its […]
January 18, 2024
With the immediate appointment of Mark Zwaaneveld (62) as co-CEO, Belgian bus and touring car builder Van Hool is getting a shrewd crisis manager in-house to put the company back on track after four years of doom. Zwaaneveld will focus on a restructuring plan, while Filip Van Hool (59), the founding family’s third generation, runs […]
January 15, 2024
The punctuality of Belgian public railway company NMBS/SNCB’s trains fell to the lowest level in five years last year. More than 46 000 trains were also canceled, a record. “This is not what passengers are entitled to,” the rail operator and NMBS/SNCB responded. Specifically, 87,5% of trains arrived at their final destination or in Brussels […]
January 15, 2024
After signing last year a contract with Qbuzz, a public transport operator in the Netherlands, to deliver 54 battery-electric buses of its latest type A battery-electric city bus, Belgian bus builder Van Hool may deliver another 112 before the end of this year. That’s a gift from the gods, as up to 65% of the […]
January 09, 2024
The Brussels government has inaugurated a new P+R car park on the Heysel plateau, suitable for around 100 parking spaces. The car park and the ninth Park and Ride in the Brussels Region should make commuting to Brussels smoother. “With P+R Heysel, we now provide parking infrastructure at all major approach roads, with smooth connections […]
January 08, 2024
The storm over Flemish public transport company De Lijn’s new transport scheme has not died. In an interview with the newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws, top woman Ann Schoubs says that De Lijn wants to raise ticket prices if the Flemish government does not release an extra 100 million euros annually. However, in principle, the Flemish […]
January 05, 2024
Flemish public transport operator De Lijn orders 92 standard electric buses from Chinese bus maker BYD. The order, representing an investment of over 43 million euros, follows the award by De Lijn’s board of directors of a new framework agreement of up to 500 standard e-buses to BYD Europe. The order earned De Lijn a […]
January 04, 2024
From Saturday, Flemish public transport company De Lijn’s new basic accessibility network will be operational. But even before the new timetable – “the biggest transition ever” at De Lijn – goes into effect, criticism is louder and louder. More stops would be scrapped than planned, and the new Hoppin bus network would create greater transport […]
December 27, 2023
Belgian public railway company NMBS/SNCB wants to outsource the management of its 60 payable car parks to a commercial company. So writes the business newspaper L’Echo. Sophie Dutordoir, CEO of NMBS/SNCB, is reported to have said so in the federal parliament a few weeks ago when she came to the Parliamentary Committee on Mobility for […]
December 26, 2023
The Brussels government and the board of directors of the Brussels public transport company MIVB/STIB have signed the new 2024-2028 management agreement. The agreement provides for an 11,9% increase in supply so that MIVB/STIB can count 457 million passengers by 2028, or over a third more than 2022. Indexation of fares is provided, but for […]
December 21, 2023
Since Thursday, public transport in the southern French city of Montpellier has been free of charge. In France, there are already around 40 cities where buses and trams are free for residents. Still, with more than 500 000 inhabitants, Montpellier is the largest European metropolis offering such a free service. “This is a measure that […]
December 20, 2023
The liberalization of the European railroad market is continuing, which will also be at the expense of the services of NMBS/SNCB. So says Belgians railroad company’s CEO, Sophie Dutordoir, who warns of congestion on the track if additional international operators track trains through Brussels. “If two operators are added, ten public service trains will disappear […]
December 19, 2023
The 2024-2028 management agreement between the Brussels public transport company MIVB/STIB and the Brussels Region will not happen now. The French-speaking PS socialists are reversing their course and opposing the indexation of preferential fares. However, the Brussels government, of which the PS is also part, approved it last week. A new attempt will be made […]
December 18, 2023
Getlink, the operator of the Channel Tunnel, wants to attract new rail operators. It has set aside a budget of 50 million euros for this purpose. With direct high-speed trains between London, Paris, Brussels, and Amsterdam, Eurostar is currently the only operator for passenger transport through the Channel Tunnel. But that monopoly Eurostar has had […]
December 12, 2023
After a break of almost a decade, the long-awaited night train connection between Brussels and Berlin is finally operational again. The first trip of the Nightjet train departed on Monday evening in Berlin and was waved goodbye by German Transport Minister Volker Wissing and the boss of Deutsche Bahn Richard Lutz. The journey took 13 […]
December 11, 2023
In November, almost 20% of Belgian trains were not punctual. This is one of the worst results in the past seven years, according to figures from railway infrastructure manager Infrabel. Nevertheless, from February, all NMBS/SNCB products will be 5,9% more expensive, including the prices of tickets and subscriptions. One in five trains (19,2%) of the […]
December 06, 2023
The Mechelen court finds Flemish public transport company De Lijn guilty of structural discrimination against people with disabilities. Four wheelchair users had gone to court after their complaints to De Lijn itself were unsuccessful. They will now each receive compensation of 650 euros. De Lijn is studying the verdict and is considering possible next steps. […]
November 30, 2023
Brussels public transport operator MIVB/STIB has ordered 36 electric buses from German manufacturer Daimler Buses. The order is part of a framework agreement for up to 80 standard low-floor buses. The first eCitaro-bus from that order should enter the fleet in early 2026. A new order for 14 additional articulated e-buses is also planned soon. […]
November 29, 2023
The first metro of the Grand Paris Express, a massive 15-year project that is set to revolutionize transport in the region around the French capital, rolled out in Paris on Tuesday. The new rapid transit lines should connect the periphery, or the Île-de-France region, to the capital and are expected to serve 2 million passengers […]
November 28, 2023
De Lijn will order up to 1 600 charging points to charge electric buses in its depots. The Flemish public transport company is placing the order with two suppliers: TM SPIE-Ekoenergetyka and ABB. De Lijn will purchase some 320 to 490 charging points in the first phase, representing an investment of 15,3 million euros. The […]
November 27, 2023
Never have travelers in Belgium filed so many complaints about canceled or late trains. That was reported by the newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws. Ombudsrail, the ombudsperson service for train passengers, already received a third more complaints from dissatisfied passengers in 2023 than last year, a record number. There are many more complaints. After all, travelers […]
November 22, 2023
Now that works on the Brussels Metro 3 have been delayed due to budget problems and the new line may not come into full service until 2038 or later, Brussels Mobility Minister Elke Van den Brandt (Groen) is to investigate possible alternatives to increase the public transport offer on that planned line. So reports La […]
November 21, 2023
A first section of the Regional Express Network (RER) between Ottignies and the junction towards Louvain-la-Neuve in Wallonia has been put into service. The RER, or GAN in Dutch, is a suburban network in and around Brussels. The 2,5 km stretch consists of two central tracks for fast trains and two sidings for local trains. […]
November 17, 2023
Brupass and Brupass XL tickets are now also available digitally in the MIVB/STIB, NMBS/SNCB, and TEC apps, and from the beginning of 2024, also at De Lijn. They’re the first digital tickets that allow travelers to travel on the four public transport networks in Brussels and its outskirts. For MIVB/STIB, this is an additional novelty […]
November 16, 2023
Financially troubled French Alstom, manufacturer of trains, metros, and rail systems, has to cut some 1 500 jobs or almost 10% of all commercial and administrative positions. At the same time, it will sell business units, although it is unclear which ones will be involved. This should raise between 500 million and one billion euros. […]
November 15, 2023
The digital information screens in the Belgian public railway company NMBS/SNCB stations are getting a new look. The new design allows more information during disrupted train traffic and increases readability. The new design can already be seen in Brussels station, and stations in the rest of the country will follow by the end of this […]
November 15, 2023
From 6 January, Flemish public transport operator De Lijn will start a new, significant step in the rollout of its primary accessibility network. Buses will be concentrated on lines with higher demand and thus drive less through neighborhoods. In the process, De Lijn will cut over 3 000 stops or about 17% of the total […]
November 14, 2023
Travelers can now test and help improve new features of the Belgian public rail operator NMBS/SNCB’s app before the features are integrated into the official app. They can test those new functions via the app ‘NMBS Lab’. That application is like the official NMBS/SNCB app but without the ability to buy tickets. Users can already […]
November 08, 2023
Flemish public transport company De Lijn will order 44 articulated electric buses from Italian bus manufacturer Iveco. The delivery of the 18-meter-log buses is expected in the first quarter of 2025, representing a 33,47-million-euro investment. The buses will be equipped with all modern amenities, such as USB chargers, extra-wide screens with stop indications, electric ramps, […]
October 30, 2023
The board of directors of Belgian railway company NMBS/SNCB will soon consider a possible 5 to 6% fare increase early next year. The Rail Passenger Advisory Committee is already recommending that the indexation be postponed, mainly because of deteriorating services. Until now, NMBS/SNCB has traditionally raised fares every year at the beginning of February. Last […]
October 26, 2023
Things are at odds between Flemish Mobility Minister Lydia Peeters (Open Vld) and Ann Schoubs, director general of public transport company De Lijn. Schoubs had made some critical statements in the media about the company’s inadequate financing. She called the outdated buses ‘cadavers’ and the underfunding ‘a rotting strategy’. In response, Peeters lashed out strongly […]
October 24, 2023
The Belgian edition of the free newspaper Metro, distributed mainly through public transport, will cease publication because it is no longer viable. Rossel Group, the owner of Metro, has announced this. As the last printed free newspaper in the country, Metro is also entirely dependent on advertising revenue. And those remain structurally too low to […]
October 24, 2023
Brussels transport company MIVB/STIB’s fares are likely to be indexed from September 2024 and consequently increase by 6,9%, except for preferential fares. So reports the business newspaper L’Echo. For the past ten years, all MIVB/STIB fares have been frozen, and no indexations have been implemented, precisely to make Brussels public transport more accessible. At the […]
October 20, 2023
Flemish Minister of Mobility and Public Works Lydia Peeters has completed her draft investment program for 2024. Almost 700 projects will be supported, accounting for an investment of 2,2 billion euros. Most investments fall within cycling, road safety, and sustainability. According to Peeters (Open VLD), never has so much been invested in cycling infrastructure in […]
October 20, 2023
German railway group Deutsche Bahn (DB) is selling its British subsidiary Arriva, which operates bus and train lines in ten European countries, to US infrastructure investor I Squared Capital. DB, which acquired Arriva for 3 billion euros in 2010, wants to focus on its core market in Germany. According to the German press, I Squared […]
October 16, 2023
Multiobus, a subcontractor for Flemish public transport company De Lijn based in Flemish Brabant, has ordered 20 Ebusco 2.2 battery-electric buses, adding to an existing fleet of 16 Ebusco e-buses. The new models will be used for public transport around Tienen. At the Busworld 2023 expo in Brussels, which also saw the launch of BYD’s […]
October 16, 2023
Belgian bus manufacturer Van Hool has joined forces with Kiepe Electric from Germany and Alstom from France to create the fully electric 24-meter Exqui-City double-articulated bus for Île-de-France Mobilités. The project was first announced in 2022 and is now revealed at Busworld in Brussels, with deliveries scheduled for the end of 2023. The new 24-meter […]
October 16, 2023
Public transport company De Lijn recently opened a new type of store where passengers can obtain travel info and buy bus and tram tickets. The store is located in the gallery of the Antwerp Central Station, in the Pelikaanstraat. Later, similar shops will follow in Brussels, Louvain, and Ostend. Compared to the previous generation of […]
October 13, 2023
On December 10th, Belgian public railroad company NMBS/SNCB will start the first phase of its plan to expand its train offer significantly. In the first phase, however, the expansions remain limited. The extensions are part of the 2023-32 public service contract that NMBS/SNCB signed with the federal government at the end of last year, aiming […]
October 12, 2023
Evolyn, which plans to rival Eurostar’s high-speed trains between Paris and London, has ordered its first 12 trains from French train builder Alstom. Plans for a competitor to Eurostar’s high-speed trains via the Channel Tunnel became public in July. Behind Evolyn are French and British companies, which reportedly include British transport operator Monica, the former […]
October 11, 2023
Liège’s new tramway has successfully completed its first run through the city streets. A first track was completed on a six-kilometer stretch between the Droixhe depot and Coronmeuse station. Meanwhile, the works in Liège, which suffered several setbacks and delays, are moving ahead, and the first commercial run is expected to take place in 2025. […]
October 11, 2023
Hydrogen gas (H2) can be used as fuel for cabs and other cars in Brussels without any problems. That is the conclusion reached by D’Ieteren’s Taxis Verts and Colruyt’s Virya Energy after a one-year pilot project involving more than 55 000 km of driving. According to the two initiators, the zero-emission technology could, in the […]
October 10, 2023
BYD has brought a whole fleet of new electric buses to Busworld in Brussels, which runs from 7 to 12 October. The highlights include a new B12 model with a Blade battery within the chassis and a BYD-UNVI DD13 double-decker bus. Chinese manufacturer BYD is not only present in the European car market, with models […]
October 10, 2023
Iveco and Hyundai have unveiled their first collaboration for the bus market: the Iveco Bus E-Way H2, which runs on a hybrid fuel cell and battery-electric powertrain and is meant for city use. The new zero-emission bus was unveiled at the Busworld show in Brussels. Hyundai and Iveco first announced their partnership for zero-emission drivetrains […]
October 09, 2023
Flemish Mobility Minister Lydia Peeters (Open VLD) launched a ‘Flemish Task Force Autonomous Transport’, in view to coordinate and accelerate the development of autonomous transport in Flanders. “The aim of the task force is to lead the upswing of autonomous transport in Flanders and to support new pilot projects maximally,” says Peeters. “Autonomous mobility is […]
