Today, 5 March 2025, the Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS) present its Dubbeldekker Nieuwe Generatie or Double-Decker New Generation. This train is a Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF) Civity Duo. This type of train is poised to become the NMBS / SNCB‘s AM30 / MR30. A coincidence? Probably.
Month: March 2025
Flanders wants to revive Iron Rhine between the Port of Antwerp and Ruhr Region
Flemish Minister of Mobility and Public Works Annick De Ridder (N-VA), formerly Alderman for the Port in Antwerp, aims to revive the rail connection between the Port of Antwerp and Germany’s Ruhr region. Once a new German government is in place, she plans to restart discussions with the Netherlands and Germany to move the long-standing…
SOUTH KOREA | Landing at Incheon, retrieving the Wowpass and taking the AREX to Seoul Station
Autumn 2024. Ten years after my first trip to Seoul in 2014, I am returning to the Republic of Korea, better known as South Korea. Not solo this time, but with Oriol, who has never been to Korea. On the itinerary: flying with Qatar Airways to Incheon via Doha, the capital Seoul, the historic city…
Spanish CAF to provide trains for NMBS / SNCB AM30
Train manufacturer Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF) from Spain is said to have won a major contract to build hundreds of new AM30 / MR30 electric multiple units (EMU) for Belgian railway company NMBS / SNCB. The CAF Civity Duo then could be a base for the AM30.
SPARTACUS GAY TRAVEL INDEX 2025 | USA and Eastern Europe under observation
Iceland joins the world’s most LGBTQIA+ friendly travel destinations for the first time, according to the Spartacus Gay Travel Index 2025. The gay travel guide keeps a close watch on Eastern Europe and the United States of America. Belgium ranks now 12th.
REVIEW | Novotel London Blackfriars
September 2024. My parents in law have been wanting to go on a cruise for a while now but didn’t feel like going on their own so they tagged along with Sam and I. My father in law’s ultimate destination would be the Norwegian Fjords, combined with the new that soon-ish cruises to the Fjords…
European Sleeper now “truly” riding to Venice
European Sleeper will travel to Venice next Tuesday, 4 March 2025. Previously, on 5 and 14 February, the night train was scheduled to reach Venice in Italy, but the journey ended in Innsbruck in Austria instead, as the Italian carrier declined to operate the final leg.
Hungary to ban Budapest Pride and doing so limits freedom of assembly
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán (Fidesz) is seeking to ban Budapest Pride, arguing that it is harmful to children’s development. He has proposed a constitutional amendment to prohibit the event, stating that it is a waste of time and money. Budapest, of course, is a popular destination for qtraight and gay people alike.
Flanders selects Bovenbouw Architectuur and Christ & Gantenbein as architects for M HKA museum of contemporary art
The Flemish Government has appointed Belgian firm Bovenbouw Architectuur and Swiss studio Christ & Gantenbein to design the ambitious new building for the Museum of Contemporary Art Antwerp (M HKA).