International rail travel is becoming an increasingly popular choice for Belgians heading abroad during the summer holidays, according to new figures from NMBS / SNCB. Belgium‘s national railway operator says bookings for international journeys continue to rise, supported by an expanding network that now offers connections to more than 6,000 destinations across 15 European countries.
Tag: European Sleeper
Stockholm emerges as Europe’s next rail hotspot
Stockholm is rapidly moving up the agenda of Europe’s railway operators, as a wave of new and planned train services positions the Swedish capital as one of the continent’s fastest-growing long-distance rail destinations.
EUROPEAN SLEEPER | Brussels to Milan now via Antwerp, Breda and Eindhoven instead of Liège and Aachen
Belgian-Dutch railway cooperative European Sleeper has announced in its newsletter changes to the route of its new Brussels in Belgium to Milan in Italy night train, which will launch on 9 September 2026. The modifications will take effect with the timetable change in mid-December 2026, creating a direct night train connection between the Netherlands and…
European Sleeper from Brussels and Amsterdam to Milan? Yes, but how?
In December 2025, European Sleeper announced a new night train connection: Brussels in Belgium and Amsterdam in the Netherlands to Milan in Italy. Independent railway commentator Jon Worth published some thoughts on that news.
BELGIUM | Rise of international trains puts pressure on the rail network: domestic services must not disappear
In three years, demand for train paths for international services in Belgium has almost doubled, De Standaard noticed. This is increasing pressure on the Belgian rail network, where more and more sections are being declared saturated, and it is also affecting the availability of domestic train services.
FRANCE | Government delays purchase of new night train rolling stock
When President Emmanuel Macron announced a major renaissance of night trains in 2020, the ambition was clear: by 2030 France should operate a dense network of ten modern night train routes, reconnecting cities domestically and across Europe. Five years later, the vision has collided with fiscal reality, Nico Callens of Duurzaam Mobiel writes.
European Sleeper pushes Brussels–Cologne–Zurich–Milan night train to 9 September 2026
The Dutch–Belgian cooperative European Sleeper has postponed the launch of its new Brussels–Cologne–Zurich–Milan night train to 9 September 2026, instead of the previously announced 18 June 2026. Ticket sales will open on 17 March 2026. The company states that the delay is primarily due to extensive infrastructure works in Germany and Switzerland, combined with the…
GoVolta re-emerges to offer train services from Amsterdam to Hamburg and to Berlin using Belgian I10 carriages
A re-emerging GoVolta will launch its first international train services to Berlin and Hamburg in Germany on 19 March 2026. From that date, the company will run three weekly services between Amsterdam in the Netherlands and Berlin, and three weekly services between Amsterdam and Hamburg.
Subsidies for night trains? “You cannot fix this until someone builds more sleeper and couchette carriages”
“I’m so tired of these arguments about small pots of money (or not) for night train operations. You cannot fix this until someone builds more night train carriages”, independent railway commentator Jon Worth posted on Bluesky. That last sentence in all caps. “Because then we can start to run night trains that aren’t with knackered…
European Sleeper to operate Paris – Brussels – Berlin night train route from March 2026
European Sleeper, the community-owned Dutch night train operator, will run a Paris–Brussels-Berlin night train connection by the end of March 2026, stepping in to fill the gap left by the cancellation of ÖBB’s Nightjet service.