Green light for GEN train line between Nivelles and Brussels

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 […]

Ailing Brussels bicycle manufacturer Cowboy saved by Rebirth

September 26, 2025

Good news for owners of trendy Cowboy bicycles: the brand and the bicycles will continue to exist. French bicycle group Rebirth is set to acquire 80% of the Brussels-based bicycle company and will invest 15 million euros to get the manufacturer of connected e-bikes back on track. Cowboy, which lost 20 million euros last year […]

August figures show electric blitz: one in five new EU cars is an EV

September 26, 2025

European drivers are buying electric cars at record levels this year, even as the continent’s overall car market shows signs of stagnation. The latest figures from the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) reveal battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) expanding their foothold across the region. Gasoline and diesel models face a steep decline. In August, registrations of BEVs […]

Dieselgate: French customers can still claim compensation after 5 years

September 25, 2025

The Dieselgate ‘nightmare’ continues to haunt Volkswagen. Disadvantaged Volkswagen customers in France can still claim compensation five years after being informed that cheating software had been installed in their cars. This was ruled by the Court of Cassation, France’s highest Court. Previously, the limitation period for civil lawsuits related to the Dieselgate scandal was five […]

Belgian Council of State also rejects Alstom’s objection in CAF tender

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 […]

Pakistan province launches free pink EV scooters for young women

September 24, 2025

It’s a different way of promoting the green transition,  in this case, in pink. The Sindh province in Pakistan, in the southeastern region of the country, has recently launched a bold new initiative aimed at transforming mobility for women. Female students and employees can now utilize a fleet of pink electric scooters at no cost. […]

€400,000+ bonus for Belgian rail operator despite mixed results

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 […]

De Lijn tests AI driver assistance system on Antwerp trams

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 […]

Flanders to dress up the budget with speed cameras and truck km tax

September 23, 2025

The Flemish government wants to collect an additional 50 million euros annually from speed trap fines. This is one of the mobility consequences of the September Declaration, the moment when the Flemish government proposes the 2026 budget. In addition, the Diependaele government is increasing the CO2 tax for trucks. The kilometer charge is expected to […]

Evelyn Pall becomes the first female CEO of Deutsche Bahn

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 […]

Car-free Sunday: air quality up, noise levels dropping almost completely

September 23, 2025

The recent car-free Sunday, on September 21st, once again proved that air quality is improving and noise pollution is decreasing, especially along Brussels’ busiest roads. The sound pressure dropped by 99 percent compared to a regular Sunday. The measuring stations on the E40 in Sint-Lambrechts-Woluwe and the E411 in Oudergem recorded sound pressure levels of 50 […]

Cyberattack on check-in and boarding systems hits European aviation

September 22, 2025

Several European airports, including Brussels Airport, Heathrow, Berlin Brandenburg Airport, Dublin, and Cork, have been disrupted on Friday and in the weekend by a cyberattack on external service provider Collins Aerospace. Even though it’s been a few days, the fallout is still being felt. The attack affected the American aviation company, which supplies software for […]

Siemens appeal in CAF case rejected by Belgian Council of State

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). […]

Droneport to generate its own energy to fly electrically

September 22, 2025

Droneport in Sint-Truiden, a 30-hectare industry park specifically for aviation, drone, advanced air mobility, and unmanned flight testing, wants to build its own solar park on the nearby site and company buildings. The business park aims to generate its own energy to fly electrically. An agreement in principle has been reached to launch the solar […]

Plans for four car-free Sundays in Brussels

September 22, 2025

If outgoing Brussels Minister of Mobility Elke Van den Brandt (Groen) has her way, the capital will become car-free not once but four times a year. Van den Brandt wants to discuss this with the mayors of the 19 municipalities. A poll also shows that most Brussels residents want several car-free days per year. In addition […]

Hasselt reimburses start-up costs for car sharing

September 19, 2025

The city of Hasselt (Limburg) wants to make car sharing more attractive by temporarily, until December 15, 2025, reimbursing the start-up costs. Anyone who registers as a new user with Cambio or Cozywheels will receive a refund of their connection fees for the time being. At Cambio, the registration fee is 35 euros; at Cozywheels, it […]

New tram in Liège scores with 100,000 users per week

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 […]

Two Xpeng ‘flying cars’ collide at air show in China

September 18, 2025

Two Xpeng AeroHT eVTOLs collided at an air show in Changchun, China, according to various Chinese and American media reports. At least one passenger was taken to the hospital with injuries, but these are not believed to be life-threatening. The cause of the accident is still unclear. There have been relatively few incidents involving eVTOLs, […]

Port of Antwerp-Bruges tests first autonomous truck in Belgium

September 17, 2025

On Tuesday, Port of Antwerp-Bruges organized the first fully autonomous truck journey on public roads in Belgium. This milestone, operated under the Belgian regulatory framework, showcases how Belgium – and Europe — can take the lead in advancing autonomous freight technology. With this initiative, the port authority wants to emphasise its pioneering role in the field of […]

Dutch-German-Belgian three-country train is late one in three times

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 […]

NMBS/SNCB keeps trains running on time by skipping stops

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 […]

Brussels Airport handled 3% more passengers during the summer holidays

September 16, 2025

During July and August, around 5 million passengers traveled through Brussels Airport. That is an increase of 3%. In August, the airport welcomed 2,5 million passengers, the same as in July. The number of arriving passengers was particularly high, 200,000 more than departing passengers. Due to the large number of local passengers, the share of […]

Toyota’s boxy e-Palette EV hits the road

September 16, 2025

Have you seen this face before? Yes, you did. During the Tokyo Olympics, Toyota shuttled athletes with the futuristic, autonomously driving e-Palette, a shipment box on wheels. But the e-Palette didn’t get stuck in its ambassador role. It has now entered the Japanese commercial market not only in its purpose for transport but also as […]

Eurostar opts for circularity and converts surplus sandwiches into beer

September 16, 2025

Eurostar, the European high-speed train operator, has just presented its 2024 sustainability report, with a clear focus on circularity. The company opts for sustainable materials and strategies when designing new terminals and lounges. And there’s another noteworthy initiative: surplus sandwiches will be processed and converted into craft beer. “Since May 2024, we have converted unused […]

TEC launches first electric Busway line in Liège

September 16, 2025

The Walloon public transport company TEC has inaugurated the B2 line in Sart-Tilman, Liège, the first fully electric bus line in Wallonia. The bus line has its own infrastructure and priority at traffic lights. From now on, 14 articulated e-buses will run on this strategic axis between Guillemins station and Sart-Tilman/Botanique, which is used by […]

VRT News dossier: ‘Flanders is Europe’s second cycling region’

September 15, 2025

By 2040, 30 percent of all journeys in Flanders should be by bicycle. This is the ambition of the Flemish government, which wants to invest 300 million euros annually in its cycling policy. These investments will definitely pay off in the future, experts say.  The Flemish government also wants an integrated cycling policy. Minister of Mobility Annick […]

Belgian rail offers €8 train return tickets on Car-Free Sunday

September 15, 2025

On September 21, Car-Free Sunday will be organized in various cities and municipalities in Belgium. To mark the occasion, NMBS/SNCB is offering a second-class return ticket for 8 euros. It is noteworthy that in Wallonia, only a few municipalities, such as Moranwelz, Le Bizet, and Ans, are participating in the initiative, while the entire Brussels-Capital […]

Most Belgian companies fail to meet sustainable mobility targets

September 15, 2025

Only one in eight Belgian companies meets the regional targets for sustainable commuting by its staff. This is according to the first mobility index published by Securex, an HR service provider, and Vias, the knowledge institute for mobility and road safety. In general, Brussels companies score the best, Flemish companies average, and Walloon companies lag. Securex […]

Amazon’s Zoox launches first robotaxi service in Las Vegas

September 12, 2025

Amazon-backed Zoox officially launched its autonomous robotaxi service on the Las Vegas Strip this week, marking a new milestone in the ride-hailing industry. What makes this rollout different is that Zoox is the first company to provide fully driverless rides to the public in a purpose-built autonomous vehicle. For now, all rides are free and […]

Febelfin: ‘Belgians are borrowing more than ever for a car’

September 12, 2025

According to data from the banking federation, Febelfin, analyzed by newspaper De Tijd, anyone borrowing money for a new car today takes out an average loan of €23,750. That’s €8,250 or 53% more than ten years ago. A similar trend is evident in the purchase of used cars. While ten years ago the average borrowing for […]

Constitutional Court blocks postponement of stricter Brussels LEZ

September 12, 2025

What was feared has come true: the Constitutional Court has suspended the ordinance postponing the tightening of the Brussels low-emission zone (LEZ). Among other things, the Court ruled that the ordinance could cause irreparable harm to one of the petitioners, a child with chronic asthma and allergies. The Court also referred to the ‘standstill’ principle […]

Von der Leyen backs EU kei-car idea to fence off Chinese competition

September 12, 2025

Europe is warming up for the arrival of kei-cars, a symbol of affordable mobility in Asia. The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has thrown her weight behind calls from Renault and Stellantis for a new generation of cheap, lightweight cars, pledging to work with manufacturers to make them a reality. But […]

Extra ticket checks on 900,000 Belgian train passengers

September 11, 2025

The Belgian public railway company NMBS/SNCB is currently carrying out extra checks on more than 400 trains on various lines and platforms to verify the validity of tickets. The campaign is part of a broader crackdown on fraud: this year, 40% more passengers will be checked compared to last year. Checks on the 900,000 passengers […]

Belgian SMEs insufficiently informed about mobility budget

September 11, 2025

From January, every Belgian employer must also offer the mobility budget to every employee with (or entitled to) a company car. However, only one in five small and medium-sized enterprises, or SMEs, is aware of this new obligation. This is according to a recent survey of more than 500 SMEs conducted by SD Worx. The […]

NMBS/SNCB rejects idea of access gates in train stations

September 11, 2025

The Belgian public railway company NMBS/SCNB has always been a lukewarm supporter of access gates in train stations. This idea has been raised several times in the past and was also mentioned in the coalition agreement, but has now been shelved by NMBS/SNCB after a “negative business case.” According to Minister of Mobility Jean-Luc Crucke […]

Assuralia: ‘14% more accidents with soft mobility in five years’

September 11, 2025

While the number of occupational accidents has decreased over the past decade, accidents on the way to and from work have increased. In Belgium, more than 10,000 accidents involving ‘soft mobility’ occurred last year on the way to, from, or for work, according to an extensive study by the insurance federation Assuralia. In five years, the […]

Flanders under pressure to clear up confusion on stricter LEZs

September 10, 2025

From January 1, there is a threat of stricter rules for low-emission zones (LEZ) in Antwerp and Ghent, even though the new coalition agreement stipulated that there would be no such tightening of the rules. Both the governing parties, N-VA and Vooruit, are urging Flemish Minister for the Environment Jo Brouns (CD&V) to provide clarity […]

150 e-mobility companies ask EU not to give in on 2035 ICE ban

September 09, 2025

Some 150 leading companies from the e-mobility sector sent a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, asking the EU not to postpone the 2035 ban on combustion engines. The call to stick to the zero-emission target for cars and vans was prompted by a vote in the European Parliament, in which the […]

New 70-meter distance rule in Spain draws criticism and… fines

September 08, 2025

A new traffic sign has recently (July 1st, 2025) been introduced in Spain, and it is already causing quite a stir. The sign requires drivers to maintain a 70-meter minimum distance, but that isn’t easy to estimate. And what if a car suddenly appears in front of you? In 2023, rear-end collisions on highways tragically caused […]

Belgian police to monitor NMBS/SNCB cameras in real-time

September 05, 2025

The Belgian public railway company NMBS/SNCB will now make its camera footage directly available to police officers. This will enable the police to monitor what is happening in stations and station areas in real-time. Until now, police services could only request the images after the fact, for example, after an incident had occurred. Almost 130 […]

Belgian rail pays nearly €280,000 in compensation for train delays

September 05, 2025

€280,000. That is the amount of compensation that the Belgian public railway company NMBS/SNCB had to pay last year to passengers whose trains did not arrive or were late. This was reported by the newspaper De Morgen. It is mainly delays of more than an hour that are costing the railway company money. A response from […]

Record of 7.6 million speeding tickets, but support for limits grows

September 05, 2025

Never before have Belgian police registered so many traffic violations (9.2 million) as last year. That represents a 10.7 percent increase compared to the previous year, marking the highest number ever. The number of minor speeding violations, in particular, increased sharply. In total, drivers were caught speeding more than 7.6 million times, almost 13 percent more […]

Court of Auditors slams Walloon government’s charging station policy

September 04, 2025

The policy pursued by the previous Walloon government for the rollout of a charging station infrastructure for EVs is inadequate. This is the conclusion of a damning report by the Belgian Court of Auditors. The plan also focuses too much on the number of charging points and, according to the Court of Auditors, lacks a […]

Ayvens and Plugsurfing sign MoU on better charging solutions

September 03, 2025

Mobility and leasing company Ayvens and the charging platform Plugsurfing have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on an all-encompassing charging solution for international and local corporates and for small and midsize companies. Clients of both Ayvens and Plugsurfing now gain access to the biggest EV charging network in Europe, already offering more […]

‘Brussels air quality improves but pollution remains dangerous’

September 03, 2025

Air quality in the Brussels-Capital Region has improved over the past ten years. According to the latest Annual Report on Air Quality from Brussels Environment, the low-emission zone, the accelerated transition from diesel to other engines, the modal shift, and technological developments explain this positive trend. However, not all mandatory standards are being met, and […]

Emily Coenegrachts is the new CEO of Traxio

September 03, 2025

Mobility federation Traxio has a new chief executive officer. Emily Coenegrachts will report to the board and the strategic committee. Coenegracht has expertise from very different sectors in the industry and has been working, among others, for BPost, VIAS, and Keolis. She will start officially in her new position on the 15th of September. Traxio […]

No more C driving license required for campers up to 4,250 kg

September 01, 2025

Anyone driving a camper or motorhome weighing more than 3,500 kg will soon no longer be required to hold a category C driver’s license. With a short training course or exam, a category B driver’s license will soon be sufficient for campers up to 4,250 kg. With a trailer, this can even reach up to […]

Drunk driving will be punished more severely in Antwerp and Limburg

September 01, 2025

Today, drivers lose their licenses for fifteen days if they exceed the 1.2 per mille limit. Starting September 1st, this will be 0.8 per mille in the provinces of Antwerp and Limburg. The East Flanders public prosecutor’s office is also considering stricter measures. Drunk driving is one of the leading causes of traffic accidents. Research […]

Brunel Solar Team wins World Solar Challenge; Belgians finish third

August 29, 2025

On Thursday, the Innoptus Solar Team finished third in Adelaide at the World Solar Car Racing Championship. Due to the bad weather, the Belgians decided to start half an hour later to store more energy in their battery, but this dropped them from second to third place. They ultimately finished third in Adelaide, after a 3,021 km […]

SD Worx: ‘20% of Belgian commuters travel more than 1.5 hour’

August 29, 2025

Belgian employees spend an average of one hour (57 minutes, to be specific) traveling to and from work. Some even spend more than an hour and a half commuting. This is evident from international research by human resources specialist SD Worx among 16,000 employees in 15 European countries and the UK. According to a survey […]

Mobility Dashboard shows 52% drop in traffic jams, but safety worsens

August 28, 2025

According to the Belgian Mobility Dashboard, a freely accessible platform that provides a range of essential mobility indicators for Belgium, it turns out that despite smoother traffic in the summer, Belgian roads are not safer. As in previous years, the summer months brought a noticeable decrease in traffic jams on the roads. But paradoxically, less traffic doesn’t […]

Stellantis puts Level 3 autonomous driving on ice

August 28, 2025

Stellantis has quietly shelved its first in-house Level 3 advanced driver-assistance program, called Auto Drive. Rising costs, technical hurdles and uncertain consumer appetite have urged the group to pause or abandon development, according to a report by Reuters. The Franco-Italian-American group, which owns Jeep, Fiat, Peugeot and Citroën, had trumpeted its “AutoDrive” programme earlier this […]

Work has begun on shore power for cruise ships in Zeebrugge

August 27, 2025

On Tuesday, work began to install a shore power installation at the cruise terminal on the Swedish Quay in Zeebrugge (Belgium). In the near future, cruise ships will be able to switch off their polluting diesel generators and fully utilize shore power. Shore power is an environmentally friendly and quiet way for ships to moor. It allows […]

Germany and Canada forge rare earth metals agreement, essential for EVs

August 27, 2025

Germany and Canada will collaborate more closely in the field of rare earth metals, such as cobalt, lithium, tungsten, and nickel. These raw materials are essential components for EV batteries, electric motors, and other applications. Both countries will finance projects in Canada for the extraction of these materials in the future. This was agreed by […]

NGOs also put pressure on NMBS/SNCB in CAF case (update)

August 27, 2025

There is another fly in the ointment in the NMBS/SNCB saga concerning the designation of the Spanish company CAF as the preferred bidder for a multi-billion euro order for up to 600 new trainsets. Following the French company Alstom’s continued exercise of its legal rights before the Council of State in Belgium regarding the tender, […]

482 children and young people injured in traffic in Brussels every year

August 26, 2025

Last year, 482 children and young people were injured in traffic accidents in Brussels. The figures come from Brussels Mobility, which publishes them due to the first day of school in French-speaking education in the capital. The service reminds all road users, including drivers, cyclists, e-scooter users, and pedestrians, to be extra cautious and to […]

Zombies on the streets? Vias warns of young people’s risky behavior in traffic

August 25, 2025

Traffic accidents remain one of the leading causes of death and injury among young people. One reason for this is that young people, especially boys, often exhibit risky behavior in traffic. A study by the Vias Institute, for example, shows that four out of ten adolescents do not always wear a seatbelt when traveling in […]

De Lijn tests AI driving assistant on trams

August 22, 2025

The Flemish public transport company De Lijn is testing a new, intelligent driving assistance system in Antwerp to warn tram drivers of potential hazards, such as pedestrians, cyclists, or obstacles on the tracks. The system uses cameras, sensors, and artificial intelligence (AI), and was developed by the Ghent-based technology company OTIV. The tests are part […]

Volvo Car Gent scraps its bus services for employees

August 22, 2025

From January 2026, Volvo Car Gent will discontinue its own bus transport service for its approximately 6,500 employees. The decision to terminate the private bus service comes as no surprise: only 98 employees still use the service. The bus service had, therefore, become too expensive to continue. Together with the personnel department, a solution is […]

Greenpeace: flying in EU is ‘shockingly’ encouraged

August 21, 2025

The most polluting way to travel is almost always the cheapest. Or: Trains are often slightly cheaper than planes. It’s a matter of interpretation or wording, but these are two headlines about a new Greenpeace study on the fact that flying in Europe is cheaper than talking the train in more than half of all […]

Create a free account, or log in.

Gain access to read this article, plus limited free content.

Yes! I would like to receive new content and updates.