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 15, 2025
Last year, Brussels Airport welcomed 23.6 million passengers. That’s 6.4% more than in 2023 but still just over 10% below the record level set before the COVID-19 pandemic. In an interview with the business newspaper De Tijd, CEO Arnaud Feist also states unequivocally that Brussels Airport will not be able to meet the noise standards […]
January 15, 2025
Whatever efforts the aviation sector makes to meet climate goals will be in vain because of the predicted growth in air traffic, reports Transport & Environment in a new rapport, a screening of European environmental targets for air traffic. According to the NGO, the EU must develop measures to regulate air traffic growth to reduce […]
January 13, 2025
From Friday to Sunday, Kortrijk Xpo will host Velofollies, the leading trade fair for cycling enthusiasts in Flanders. At this 17th edition, there will be a lot of interest in gravel bikes and e-bikes, two trends of recent years that have not lost popularity. Velofollies is the second largest bike fair in Europe, after Eurobike […]
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 09, 2025
The Lufthansa Group plans to hire some 10,000 new employees this year. Three hundred sixty people are involved at the subsidiary Brussels Airlines. Last year, the entire Lufthansa Group recruited 13,000 people. All these new hires clearly signal that the group, the largest in Europe and fourth largest in the world by revenue, has shaken […]
January 09, 2025
According to the Belgian Mobility Dashboard (BMD) calculations, the economic cost of traffic congestion in 2024 reached 5.3 billion euros, or 5% more than in the previous year. In 2024, that time loss per motorist averaged 6 minutes and 35 seconds per day or over 40 hours throughout the year, up 1% compared to 2023. […]
January 08, 2025
The market share of Lineas, Europe’s largest private rail freight operator, has fallen below 50%. However, it is still higher than the European average. This is according to a report by the Belgian rail regulator. The report refers to 2023. According to the Rail Transport and Airport Operations Regulatory Service, Lineas’ market share then fell […]
January 08, 2025
For the first time in Belgium, the truck kilometer charge has brought in more than a billion euros. This is according to statistics for 2024 published by Viapass, the public body that coordinates and monitors road pricing in Belgium. Tolls brought in 658 million euros in Flanders, 347.1 million in Wallonia, and 10.8 million in […]
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 […]
January 06, 2025
Between November 2022 and January 2023, about 600 e-buses were registered in France eligible for an ecological bonus. However, more than half of those buses did not exist: fraudsters used loopholes in the state registration system to scam subsidies for hundreds of fake e-buses. According to Le Monde, up to 10 million euros in public […]
January 06, 2025
In the Brussels Capital Region, network operator Sibelga is converting streetlights into charging stations for EVs. BRUZZ and L’Echo/De Tijd, among others, report this. Such solutions should reduce the impact of charging points on public spaces. Some 40 such charging points are already operational, located in Woluwe-Saint-Pierre, the City of Brussels, and Uccle. Another ten […]
January 03, 2025
Flemish Mobility Minister Annick De Ridder (N-VA) wants to allow super trucks on Flemish highways within two years. The approval for the longer and heavier vehicles, or LHVs as these trucks that are up to 25,25 meters long and weigh up to 60 tons are officially called, will come on condition that a few strict […]
December 31, 2024
8,4 million. That is the number of traffic offenses committed by motorists on Belgian roads in 2023. So reports Sudpresse newspapers, based on figures from the FPS Finance. Most of those violations were speeding violations (6,8 million). In most cases, these were not major speeding offenses but involved driving between 0 and 10 km too […]
December 30, 2024
Irish low-cost airline Ryanair expects to put 29 new Boeing 737 aircraft into service next year. That 3-billion-dollar investment should create 2,000 new jobs in Europe. Ryanair’s ambition is to increase passenger numbers to 300 million over the next ten years. Its fleet would increase from nearly 600 to 800 aircraft over that period. The […]
December 27, 2024
Starting January 1, Lufthansa will impose an environmental surcharge on flights departing from Europe. The surcharge ranges from 1 to 72 euros, depending on distance and travel class. For subsidiary Brussels Airlines, the environmental surcharge will be a maximum of 36 euros. “This surcharge is intended to cover part of the ever-increasing additional costs resulting […]
December 24, 2024
An analysis by business newspaper De Tijd/L’Echo, based on figures from Fedris, the Belgian Federal Agency for Occupational Risks, shows that the number of commuting accidents in Belgium is climbing rapidly. The figure has risen to the third highest ever, and it exposes once again one of the pain points: inadequately adapted infrastructure, such as […]
December 23, 2024
The long-awaited project around electric flying cabs in Paris will not happen this year. The French Council of State annulled the ministerial decree authorizing the creation of an aircraft take-off and landing platform of 740 m² on the Seine in Paris. French airport operator Aéroports de Paris (ADP), along with Volocopter, the German manufacturer of […]
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 20, 2024
Air Belgium will continue cargo operations under the name Air One Belgium. So reports CEO Niky Terzakis. The 64-year-old aviation entrepreneur will remain at the helm of his brainchild. However, following financial troubles, the company has now been acquired by a Dutch PESA Aviation Management consortium and British Air One Holding International. “The bidder has […]
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 18, 2024
More than one in four Brussels motorists (27%) could do without a car. This is the finding of a survey conducted by Brussels Mobility. Through the sample of 1,900 Brussels residents with a car, Brussels Mobility aims to better understand car use and which alternatives to the car could be made more attractive. On average, […]
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
As expected, the Nivelles business court has approved the take-over of financially troubled airline Air Belgium by a consortium of Dutch PESO Aviation Management and British Air Ones Holding International. It was the only final offer submitted on time. Air Belgium’s lawyers and the delegated judge had advised the court last week to accept the […]
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 13, 2024
The closure of five Brussels car tunnels by 2030, including two on Avenue Louise and two on the central ring road, would save 100 million euros in the long run and have no major impact on mobility. This is according to a cost-benefit analysis of Brussels tunnels commissioned by Brussels Mobility and reported by the […]
December 12, 2024
At ArcelorMittal in Ghent, the first barge has been left with bioethanol derived from captured CO2. It is the first time that the steel plant’s so-called ‘Steelanol’ plant has provided enough sustainable fuel for inland barges to start using. The plant, a first for the European steel industry announced in 2019, could eventually reach an […]
December 11, 2024
IATA, the global airline umbrella organization, expects airlines worldwide to carry 5.2 billion passengers next year, the first time this will exceed the 5 billion mark. More passengers also mean more flights, leading to higher CO2 emissions from the aviation sector. For example, using more sustainable fuels, such as biomass or used oils, could help […]
December 10, 2024
The Doel 4 nuclear reactor is producing power again for the first time in months. Within two days, the reactor will be running at full power. Meanwhile, the Council of State warns of possible damage claims due to tampering with the nuclear shutdown. Doel 4 had been shut down since late August. As part of […]
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 09, 2024
The Brussels Parliament has adopted an ordinance proposal to postpone the taxi sector’s obligation to purchase zero-emission vehicles by two years until January 2027. Green parties denounced the fact that since June, there has been no majority in the Brussels Parliament except for specific files, such as for the two-year postponement of the tightening of […]
December 06, 2024
The company that wants to take over the financially troubled airline Air Belgium is known. It is a consortium of two companies: Dutch company PESO Aviation Management and British company Air One Holding International. That consortium also wants to keep only 197 of Air Belgium’s 401 current employees. This was announced before the Nivelles enterprise […]
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 05, 2024
Brussels energy regulator Brugel has approved Sibelga’s new network tariffs for electricity and natural gas in 2025 and 2029. This will initially result in a higher bill for Brussels households of around 67 euros. At the same time, Brugel is also introducing a specific tariff for reinforcing electricity connection points. The aim is, among other […]
December 05, 2024
To reduce the number of drunk train passengers getting into accidents during the festive season, UK train operator Avanti West Coast will serve a new low-alcohol beer on trains running in the West Coast Mainline between London Euston and Scotland. According to the rail company, the ‘Safety Thirst Beer’, which contains 0.5% alcohol by volume […]
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
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. […]
December 03, 2024
From March, Brussels Airlines will start flying direct to Kinshasa daily. Currently, there are five direct flights a week and two flights a week with a stopover in Luanda (Angola). By broadening its offer to the Congolese capital, Brussels Airlines confirms its reputation as the Lufthansa Group’s Africa specialist. Non-stop “The history of aviation in […]
December 02, 2024
Brussels Airport has started another pilot project with a self-driving shuttle bus. The van will transport employees on the airport’s tarmac for three months. The pilot project is part of the European Commission’s Stargate program, which aims to make aviation more sustainable. The shuttle itself was developed by New Zealand company Ohmio. Fixed route of […]
November 29, 2024
What was first feared is now confirmed: the only take-over bid for Air Belgium only concerns the cargo operations. In other words, passenger operations will disappear. The ailing airline will know on December 5th whether the sale proposal receives court approval. But it looks like an end to Air Belgium anyway. Candidate is a European […]
November 28, 2024
French aerospace and defense company Safran has inaugurated BeCOVER, a new aviation test center of the future. The test center in Herstal, in the province of Liège, is the only one in Europe. The 3,000 m² will be used to test all types of compressors for new generations of civil and military aircraft engines in […]
November 27, 2024
Starting next summer, Funchal, on the Portuguese island of Madeira, will be added to the network of destinations to which Brussels Airlines flies. At the same time, the airline will also deploy more aircraft in the 2025 summer season, allowing it to increase capacity by 18%, which means higher frequencies to many destinations. This higher […]
November 26, 2024
Those who thought to see the light and the end of the tunnel in connection with the works on the Leonard crossing can abandon all hope for a short pain. The complete “facelift” of the Brussels ring tunnel (R0) has finally been postponed until next spring. In January, the Works Association (De Werkvennootschap) will start […]
November 26, 2024
From December 1st, the American ride-hailing service Uber will also start offering its services throughout Wallonia, just as it already does in Flanders and Brussels. New regulations in Wallonia will make expansion possible. In February, Uber had already launched its UberTaxi service, a classic stand-up cab service in several cities in Wallonia. The price is […]
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 22, 2024
German parcel company DHL Express and energy company Shell have signed a one-year agreement for the use of 25,000 tons of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) at Brussels Airport. This will allow it to replace a third of the traditional kerosene in the planes departing from Brussels Airport with the more environmentally friendly fuel derived from, […]
November 21, 2024
The Jan Yperman Hospital, located in a rather enclosed region in Ypres, West Flanders, Belgium, has deployed drones to transport blood samples automatically. The new drone system operates fully automatically and combines 5G technology with a high-tech drone cargo port (DCP)—a world first, it claims. Last week, the British NHS also deployed drones to quickly […]
November 21, 2024
These are tense times for Air Belgium. An investor has submitted a bid for the ailing Walloon airline. Judicial reorganization proceedings ended in late September, and potential investors had until November 15th to go forward. The court in Nivelles will consider the bid on December 5th. Who the investor is and the plans regarding activities […]
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
Following the lead of individuals, several business leaders, and Hollywood celebs, Groupe Rossel, the Belgian media group behind the newspaper Le Soir and SudPresse, has announced it will no longer buy Tesla or use X because Elon Musk supports Trump. “It seems incompatible to us to implement ESG principles and actions and continue to buy […]
November 19, 2024
The Danish government will introduce an emissions tax on livestock farming by 2030, making Denmark the first country in the world to do so. Although New Zealand announced a similar law in 2022, it was withdrawn after widespread farmer protests. The aim is to make agriculture more sustainable. Denmark is a big dairy and pork […]
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
Cars in Brussels’ streets are becoming heavier and larger, making traffic more unsafe and contradicting the city’s quality-of-life goals. This is shown by a new study conducted by Brussels Environment and Brussels Mobility, newspapers De Standaard and L’Echo write. SUVs, Sports Utility Vehicles, accounted for more than half of all new registrations in 2023. The […]
November 14, 2024
Engie and lime producer Carmeuse are terminating the Columbus project, an industrial carbon capture and use (CCU) plant at Amercoeur near Charleroi, for “economic and regulatory reasons.” The project had a total investment cost of more than 300 million euros. 187,000 tons of CO2 With the Columbus project, French energy company Engie and Carmeuse, in […]
November 13, 2024
Lufthansa and the Italian government have agreed to take over ITA Airways, formerly Alitalia, after tough negotiations, the Italian Finance Ministry announced. The documents were delivered to the European Commission before the deadline. The EC had previously imposed conditions on the deal to safeguard competition, such as giving up some flight rights or slots. €325 […]
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 […]
