Arriva’s plans to launch direct international train services from Amersfoort and The Hague to Paris can go ahead after Dutch regulator the Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) concluded that the services would not have a significant negative impact on NS’s main rail network concession.
Tag: Antwerp-Central Railway Station
Antwerp now linked to Cologne in Germany with direct Deutsche Bahn ICE via Brussels Airport
Antwerp is now directly connected to Cologne by high-speed train for the first time, giving the city a new rail gateway to Germany and, via Cologne’s major railway hub, onward destinations in Switzerland and Central and Eastern Europe. The new Deutsche Bahn ICE service also puts Brussels Airport back on the international high-speed rail network…
Antwerp sees increase in international train travel
International rail travel from Antwerp in Belgium is continuing to grow strongly, with Eurostar reporting a 16% increase in passengers during the first eight months of 2026 compared with the same period last year. The growth comes as Antwerp gains another direct international high-speed connection, with Deutsche Bahn’s ICE trains beginning direct services to Cologne…
Antwerp welcomed with almost 3 million day-trippers in summer of 2026
Antwerp welcomed a record 2.96 million day-trippers this summer of 2026, while overnight stays also continued to grow. The city recorded 543,418 overnight stays, up 3.8% from summer 2025. Major events including Antwerp Pride, The Tall Ships Races, Tomorrowland and the Bollekesfeest produced clear peaks in visitor numbers, while international interest increased particularly strongly from…
ANTWERP | Queer Walk Central Station to Hessenhuis with Linx+
On Sunday 17 May 2026 – Norway‘s Constitution Day but also and foremost International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia, aka IDAHOT or IDAHOBIT, Dennis and I partook in a Queer Walk by Linx+. A guided walk retracing Antwerp‘s queer history.
Belgian and Dutch passenger advocates call for swift reopening of Hamont-Weert railway
Belgian and Dutch passenger organisations are calling for the rapid reopening of the railway between Hamont in Belgian Limburg, and Weert in Dutch Limburg. Following a joint inspection of the nine-kilometre missing link, TreinTramBus (TTB), Dutch passenger organisation Rover and the Vereniging Treinreizigers Vervoer (vTv) concluded that the cross-border connection could be restored relatively quickly…
European Sleeper plans Brussels – Antwerp – Malmö night train for 2028
European Sleeper is exploring a new night train linking Brussels in Belgium with Malmö in Sweden via the Netherlands, and Copenhagen in Denmark, in cooperation with German rail operator RDC Deutschland. The service could start in April 2028, creating a direct overnight connection between the Benelux and Scandinavia for the first time in more than…
NMBS / SNCB’s centenary train visits Schaerbeek (29–30 August), Liège (12–13 September) and Antwerp (10–11 October)
NMBS / SNCB will mark its centenary with a unique travelling exhibition bringing together almost a century of Belgian railway history in a single 300-metre-long train. Featuring historic locomotives and carriages spanning from the 1930s to the latest generation of rolling stock, the exhibition will visit Schaerbeek / Schaarbeek in Brussels, Liège-Guillemins, and Antwerp-Central Railway…
PHOTOS | Rainbow-lit Antwerp for Pride
2026 marks the nineteenth (19th) edition of Antwerp Pride. From Wednesday 5 to Sunday 9 August, Antwerp in Belgium will once again be taken over by rainbow vibes. Prides are a mix of celebration – parties – and activism and advocacy. For the 2026 edition, the organising committee focuses on fearing less and being fearless.
GoVolta unveils ambitious expansion with new services to Cologne, Luxembourg, Strasbourg, and high-speed trains to Paris
Dutch open-access operator GoVolta has announced its most ambitious expansion plans yet, notifying the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (Autoriteit Consument & Markt, ACM) of three new international routes while also seeking permission to carry domestic passengers on its Amsterdam to Berlin and Amsterdam to Paris services. Spoiler alert: notifying a government agency such…