The Board of Directors of the National Railway Company of Belgium, the NMBS / SNCB, is set to award the contract for the new MR30 / AM30 trains to manufacturer Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF) from the Basque Country in Spain, Thibault Lapers‘ mobilithib blog has learned from a source.
Tag: Alstom
NS buys 36 new Stadler Flirt Flex trains for local, intercity, and international services
The Nederlandse Spoorwegen or NS, the Netherlands‘ state railway, ordered 36 new Stadler Flirt Flex, Sprinter in NS terminology, trains for over €400 million. Unlike the current Sprinter trains, the ultramodern trains, named Flirt Flex, will once again have the classic yellow-blue NS livery. The first trains are expected to enter Dutch service in 2030.
#CROSSCHANNELRAIL | Expanding UK-Europe train links most realistically leading to Switzerland
A new independent analysis has laid out the most comprehensive roadmap yet for expanding direct high-speed rail services between London in the United Kingdom and mainland Europe. The #CrossChannelRail Final Report, published on 17 November 2025, is the result of an unusually detailed investigation that included visits to sixty-three stations across the continent, technical assessments…
Italo targets the German high-speed rail market
Germany’s long-distance rail market is about to see a shake-up. After decades of dominance by Deutsche Bahn, Italian private high-speed operator Italo is preparing to challenge the ICE with its own trains.
Eurostar unveils €2 billion Alstom ‘Celestia’ fleet of double-decker sustainable trains
On 22 October 2025, Eurostar has announced a landmark €2 billion investment in up to 50 new double-decker trains — the first of their kind to operate through the Channel Tunnel and on the United Kingdom‘s rail network.
Channel Tunnel competition plans hinge on depot access as Gemini Trains reveals Siemens–Uber partnership
The British start-up Gemini Trains has taken its most deliberate step yet towards launching new Channel Tunnel services, announcing Siemens Mobility as its preferred manufacturer and Rock Rail as its financial partner for a fleet of Velaro Novo trains.
BELGIUM | Council of State backs NMBS / SNCB’s choice of Spanish CAF for multi-billion train order
The Council of State has dismissed an appeal by Siemens and rejected a request from NGOs, clearing the way for Belgian state railway NMBS / SNCB to move forward with its plans to order hundreds of new trainsets from Spanish manufacturer CAF. A ruling on a parallel case brought by French rival Alstom is still…
ITALY | Trains in Sicily
March 2025. We’re embarking on a train trip to Sicily. We fly from Brussels Airport to Leonardo da Vinci Rome Fiumicino Airport with ITA Airways. Then we take an Intercity Notte sleeper train by Trenitalia from Roma Termini Railway Station across Italy to Syracuse. Yes, the train is loaded on a ferry to cross the…
SICILY | Catania
March 2025. We’re embarking on a train trip to Sicily. We fly from Brussels Airport to Leonardo da Vinci Rome Fiumicino Airport with ITA Airways. Then we take an Intercity Notte sleeper train by Trenitalia from Roma Termini Railway Station across Italy to Syracuse. Yes, the train is loaded on a ferry to cross the…
NMBS / SNCB’s AM30 / MR30 order faces political and legal headwinds as costs of delay mount
The Belgian national rail operator NMBS / SNCB is under mounting pressure over its planned order of new trains from Spanish manufacturer Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF), as political debate, legal challenges and international criticism threaten to delay the procurement.
Trip By Trip 