March 05, 2024
The Dutch electricity grid is becoming increasingly saturated. Top executive Maarten Otto of energy network company Alliander confirmed this when presenting the annual results. He added that demand is growing much faster than the pace at which the grids can be expanded for years, and expansion of the net is not expected to provide additional […]
March 05, 2024
The long-announced ‘three-country train’ Liège-Maastricht-Aachen will start running in the border region between Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany from June 9th. The Maastricht-Aachen section has been active since 2019. However, Belgium could not yet be served due to making the trains of carrier Arriva suitable for the different security systems used in the three countries. […]
March 04, 2024
Start-up Kevin Speed will run high-speed trains (HST) in France from 2028 under the brand ‘ilisto’. The new HST operator signed an agreement with SNCF Réseau, the French rail network operator, to get the necessary train paths for the planned train runs. Specifically, Kevin Speed wants tracks from Paris to the North (Lille), east (Strasbourg), […]
February 29, 2024
Last year, Flanders issued 19 million euros of fines for truck drivers who did not comply with the rules on kilometer tax. That is a record since the system was introduced in 2016. Most of the fines – almost 80 percent – were intended for foreign trucks. The Netherlands, Poland, and Spain, in particular, took […]
February 28, 2024
Like in 2022, Dutch Railways NS made a 191-million-euro loss last year due to increased costs for wages and equipment, but also because the number of expected passengers fell short. NS, therefore, wants to make train tickets considerably more expensive next year, possibly by more than 10%. With that 191-million-euro loss, NS may be doing […]
February 27, 2024
Dutch Railways NS will order ten more Intercity trains, New Generation, on top of the 99 already ordered earlier. The order involves an investment of over 150 million euros. Public transport in the Netherlands is still less popular than it was before the Covid-19 health crisis, yet increasing crowding is noticeable – 15.5% more people […]
February 27, 2024
The Roads and Traffic Agency (Agentschap Wegen en Verkeer, AWV) is building a bicycle bridge and an ecoduct over the Boslaan (N75) in Lanklaar (Limburg province). The new bicycle construction is part of the 5.5-km-long bicycle path through the Lanklaarderbos and will officially open by the end of April. The cycle paths are ready; only […]
February 26, 2024
Share organization Dégage!, with more than 6,000 members, calls in a memorandum for a favorable parking regime in Ghent that encourages people to share their cars. For example, it wants to make parking more expensive for non-shared cars. It also calls for increasing the number of shared cars in the city to 3,000 by 2030. […]
February 26, 2024
The number of bicycle paths along regional roads in Flanders that are in excellent or decent condition has increased slightly, by 3,3%, to 63,8%. This is according to the new bicycle paths report of the Agency for Roads and Traffic (Agentschap Wegen en Verkeer, AWV), which gives a picture of about 7,000 km of bicycle […]
February 26, 2024
Lizy, the Belgian market leader in second-hand leasing, turns five and is celebrating. After expanding to France and tripling turnover in 2023, the scale-up is raising 11.5 million euros of fresh capital. “Demand for affordable electric lease cars continues to grow, a gap in the market that Lizy is filling,” the company says. Five years […]
February 23, 2024
Since the ‘premium window for EVs’ in Flanders opened on 12 February, 3,073 premium applications have been made. Some 2,600 applications were made for new cars, 440 for second-hand cars, 100 for car-sharing, and 40 for vehicles for non-profit organizations. Multiplied by the premium amounts, this amounts to around 15 million euros. Mobility Minister Lydia […]
February 22, 2024
On Wednesday, Flemish Minister for Mobility Lydia Peeters (Open Vld) officially inaugurated Flanders’ largest plaza with fast-charging stations in Sint-Pieters-Leeuw (Flemish Brabant). The 18 fast-charging stations are located in Shopping Pajot’s parking lot in Sint-Pieters-Leeuw, a popular shopping location with 24 stores. So, 18 electric cars can simultaneously recharge their batteries in half an hour […]
February 22, 2024
European aerospace corporation Airbus and French oil company TotalEnergies are joining forces to address sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) challenges. The partnership should contribute to reducing CO2 emissions from the aviation sector to reach net zero emissions by 2050. Eventually, SAF supplied by TotalEnergies can reduce up to 90% of CO2 emissions over their lifecycle compared […]
February 21, 2024
Traffic Safety Institute Vias pleads for the introduction of controls for nitrous oxide – the so-called ‘laughing gas’ – on the road. The drug has gained popularity in recent years, especially among young people. It gives users a buzz similar to that of alcohol and can have a severe influence on one’s driving abilities, so […]
February 21, 2024
The electric bike is becoming more and more popular. More than one in four Belgians, or 28%, used one in 2023, up 4% from a year ago. This is according to a survey by the FPS Mobility. The rise is particularly striking in rural areas. The regular Flemish cyclist living outside a big city uses […]
February 21, 2024
Flanders’ Christian Democratic party CD&V wants to phase out the low-emission zones. That is what party chairman Sammy Mahdi said during a debate at the Automotive eMotion Summit in the Skyhall, the former departure hall of Brussels Airport. According to Mahdi, these zones have proven successful in reducing the amount of air pollution. However, diesel […]
February 20, 2024
In December last year, China presented the C919, its first domestically produced airplane. On Tuesday, China’s largest passenger aircraft will be shown internationally for the first time at Singapore Airshow. With the C919, Beijing aims to compete with Airbus and Boeing, the world’s two leading aircraft manufacturers, while becoming less dependent on foreign technologies. A […]
February 20, 2024
The French-German Automotive supplier Forvia plans to cut up to 10,000 jobs in Europe by 2028. That should improve the company’s competitiveness, Forvia says, and generate half a billion euros in yearly savings. Although the company, formed from the merger of Nanterre-based Faurecia and German Hella, has returned to profitability, it continues to carry heavy […]
February 19, 2024
The number of shared cars has increased significantly in the past year. By the end of 2023, Flanders had 4,159 shared cars, or 31.5% more than the year before. Among them are all types of shared cars: free-floating, roundtrip, and individually shared cars. According to the car-sharing website Autodelen.net’s annual report, you can find shared […]
February 19, 2024
With a market share of more than 70%, still according to the estimates of Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares, the French-Italian-American automaker comes out on top with 30,000 orders in the social leasing contracts in France. Renault got just over 10,000 orders, according to CEO Luca de Meo. That the difference in terms of sales between […]
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 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 15, 2024
According to research by the Dutch mobility organization ANWB and its German sister club ADAC (Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil-Club), some safety jackets on the Dutch market are unsafe. They hardly reflect any light. And although the jackets are not mandatory in the Netherlands, both organizations sound the alarm. ADAC experts purchased 14 different safety vests online […]
February 15, 2024
After successful testing in three departments – Rhône, les Hauts-de-Seine, and l’Eure-et-Loir – France is generalizing the numeric or digital driving license to replace the paper version nationwide. Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin has announced that motorists must apply for this digital driving license. Pierre Chasseray, general delegate and spokesperson for the motorist’s association ’40 millions […]
February 14, 2024
The emblematic modernist headquarters of car importer D’Ieteren in Rue du Mail in Ixelles has been included on the Brussels list of monuments. This was announced by the office of the regional Secretary of State for Spatial Planning and Heritage, Ans Persoons (Vooruit). The procedure to protect various parts of the building was launched in […]
February 13, 2024
Flemish Minister of Mobility Lydia Peeters (Open Vld) resolutely opts for more structural measures to address the capacity problems at the technical inspection centers. The most remarkable measure is the extension of the periodicity for passenger cars (vehicle category M11). New vehicles were subject to a yearly inspection from the day they turned four years […]
February 13, 2024
On the first day, the Flemish government’s e-counter opened to apply for a premium for a new or second-hand zero-emission vehicle; 1,423 applications were submitted in the first three hours. Most applications are about new cars. Flemish Minister of Mobility and Public Works Lydia Peeters (Open VLD) responds satisfactorily. Of the more than 1 400 […]
February 13, 2024
In France, the social leasing plan, a state measure to give less fortunate people access to an EV for 100 euros a month, has already run out of budget. The scheme is discontinued after more than 50,000 validated orders in six weeks, or almost double what was initially planned. The Elysée Palace announced that the […]
February 12, 2024
The share of employees with a ‘mobility budget’ has doubled again in 2023, from 0.2% in 2022 to 0.4% in 2023. This means that one in 250 employees now has a mobility budget. With the federal mobility budget, employees exchange their (right to a) company car for a budget to manage their mobility sustainably. “It […]
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
On Friday, the Flemish government finally agreed to adjust the premium for electric cars: the bonus can only be applied for 2024 and not for three years, as previously announced. Whether the aid will continue after 2024 will be up to the new government, as elections are due in June 2024. The premiums remain the […]
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 08, 2024
In Hannuit, in the Belgian province of Liège, on the border with Flanders, there will be a park with more than 3,800 solar panels. That solar panel park managed by Infrabel will provide solar energy to the Leuven-Liège high-speed railroad line. The project has a price tag of about 2 million euros, 90% of which […]
February 07, 2024
More than 30 organizations have signed the ‘Inclusive Car-sharing’ Green Deal in Brussels, a charter to expand car sharing as a sustainable mobility alternative by giving access to it to as many Brussels residents as possible, regardless of their specific needs. This is an initiative of Brussels Environment and Mobility Ministers Alain Aaron (Ecolo) and […]
February 07, 2024
Most drivers (98.4%) tested for alcohol during the last winter campaign blew negative. That was the best result since the so-called ‘Bob’ campaigns began in 1995. For comparison, ten years ago, in 2013-2014, 3.2% of drivers were still positive, or twice as many as this year. This winter’s Bob campaign started on Friday, December 1st, […]
February 06, 2024
A young motorist from Ghent (Belgium) has been sentenced to a heavy fine of 1,600 euros for driving his father’s manual BMW while he only had a driver’s license for an automatic car. He also had to hand in his driver’s license for 15 days and take his practical exam. In Belgium, holders of a […]
February 06, 2024
The Council of State is sharply critical of the Flemish government’s draft decision on a premium for the purchase of an electric car. The Council has problems with the ‘first come, first served’ principle and fears due to the limited budget also a possible reduction of the premium in case of too much demand. 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 05, 2024
As of March, the Italian government is activating a new subsidy scheme aimed at decarbonizing its polluting old car fleet. The plan entails substantial aid for lower incomes and incentives for hybridized vehicles and charging infrastructure. Almost one billion euros is put aside for the national clean sweep. The 950 million euro plan was unveiled […]
February 05, 2024
Over 54% of Parisians voted in a referendum to support a proposal by Mayor Anne Hidalgo to triple the parking fee for SUVs, including hybrid and electric cars weighing more than 1,6 and 2 tons, respectively. The vote managed to mobilize only 5,68% of voters or 78,000 Parisians. Under the plan, parking fees for visitors […]
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
The University of Ghent has appointed Meredith Glaser as an academic expert for more and safer bicycle traffic. Glaser is an internationally respected academic with approximately 15 years of experience in spatial planning, transport, and mobility. She will further specialize in everything related to cycling. Meredith Glaser is originally from the Californian coast but has […]
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 31, 2024
South Korean media report that Kia is delaying the launch of its future electric sedan, the EV4. Originally planned to be on the road before the end of 2024, the production version of the Kia EV4 Concept should be launched by early 2025. Kia didn’t mention any specific reason. The future Kia EV3, presented in […]
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 30, 2024
Car sharing is increasingly popular in Louvain. In the last four years, the number of users has increased by 80%. However, Poppy discontinued service after only three months. In the meantime, newcomer BattMobility hopes to fill the gap. BattMobility only offers electric shared cars with a fixed parking space, a significant difference from Poppy’s concept. […]
January 29, 2024
The Flemish government has approved the Regional Spatial Implementation Plan for the northern part of the Ring Road around Brussels, bringing a 550-million-euro remodeling a step closer. Flanders wants to make the R0-North between Sint-Stevens-Woluwe and Groot-Bijgaarden more traffic-safe and increase the area’s livability. In the spring of 2023, a public inquiry on the provisional […]
January 29, 2024
The public prosecutor’s office in Limburg has announced stricter action against mobile phone use behind the wheel. From February 1st, anyone using his mobile phone or other mobile device while driving a motor vehicle will immediately have to hand in his driver’s license for fifteen days, after which a €174 fine will follow. Similar measures […]
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 25, 2024
After the Stellantis Group, Renault, and Hyundai, Volkswagen will also offer cars in the French ‘social leasing’ project, President Emmanuel Macron’s plan to provide electric vehicles for less than 150 euros a month through a lease with purchase option. Four models will be offered by the end of January, from the small Volkswagen E-UP (€89/month) […]
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 24, 2024
The European Commission has blocked plans by German airline group Lufthansa to take a minority stake in Italian airline ITA Airways. EU anti-trust regulators are “concerned after a preliminary investigation that the transaction could restrict competition on several short- and long-haul routes to and from Italy,” they said in a press release. This mainly concerns […]
January 23, 2024
Brussels Airlines and its Belgian rival TUI fly are looking to recruit more than 700 people this year. Both airlines are mainly looking for stewards and flight attendants, but TUI fly is also looking for 15 future pilots, for example, while about 40 are needed at Brussels Airlines. Brussels Airlines, which had to lay off […]
January 23, 2024
Three years after the introduction of the 30 km/hour rule in Brussels, Brussels Mobility can only present a fine balance sheet: the introduction of the speed limit has not only led to less noise pollution and a general decrease in average speeds in the capital’s streets but has also reduced the severity of accidents, particularly […]
January 23, 2024
Car manufacturers are making increasingly wider cars. For instance, the 1974 Volkswagen Golf was ‘only’ 1,610 m wide, but the 2019 version measured 1,790 m. Not to mention the Dodge Ram, which is more than two meters wide – 2,085 m, to be precise- overshooting the 1,80 m-wide parking spaces by almost 30 cm. The […]
January 22, 2024
In France, the first vehicles have been delivered within President Emmanuel Macron’s social leasing plan, a measure to lease a European electric car at 100 euros per month for those on the lowest incomes. The first vehicles were provided by the Stellantis Group, known for brands such as Peugeot, Citroën, etc. So far, about 91 […]
