Italian high-speed rail operator Italo Holding has signed a major contract with Siemens Mobility for 26 high-speed trains, with an option for a further 14, as part of its planned expansion into the German rail market. The agreement, signed in Munich in Bavaria, is worth around €3 billion and forms part of a total €3.6…
Tag: Germany
Belgium tourism reaches new heights as record visitor numbers underline the country’s growing appeal
Today is the National Holiday of Belgium. On 21 July 1831, Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha took the constitutional oath to become King of the Belgians.
LITHUANIA | Two days in Vilnius
August 2025. We’re travelling to the Baltic States: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, and more specifically their respective capitals Tallinn, Riga and Vilnius. Are they interconnected by rail? Yes, but not in the most straightforward or userfriendly way possible. The Rail Baltica project should remedy this. Unsurprisingly though, this megaproject faces political and budgetary hurdles. It…
Brussels Airport closes first half of 2026 with 3.6% passenger growth despite Middle East / Strait of Hormuz conflict
Brussels Airport welcomed almost 11.7 million passengers during the first six months of 2026, despite industrial action and disruption caused by the conflict in the Middle East and the Strait of Hormuz. The airport also reported strong growth in cargo traffic, underlining its role as one of Europe‘s leading freight hubs.
VILNIUS | Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights
August 2025. We’re travelling to the Baltic States: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, and more specifically their respective capitals Tallinn, Riga and Vilnius. Are they interconnected by rail? Yes, but not in the most straightforward or userfriendly way possible. The Rail Baltica project should remedy this. Unsurprisingly though, this megaproject faces political and budgetary hurdles. It…
NMBS / SNCB: International train travel continues to grow in popularity among Belgian holidaymakers
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.
DENVER | Visit of the Colorado State Capitol
September 2025. After Oscar came to London in June 2024 and I joined him there for a day, I’m now going to his hometown of Denver in Colorado. My second trip to the United States in 2025, after visiting my uncle and aunt in Wilmington, North Carolina. No, Denver is is not on foreign tourists’…
ANTWERP | Zuidpark wins European Green Cities Award 2025
In January 2026 in Essen, Germany, the Green Cities Europe Award 2025 was presented to Zuidpark or South Park. The Antwerp project beat out seven other countries.
United Kingdom tourism surges past 45 million visitors as cross-Channel travel with Belgium grows
In 2024, I showed Oscar from Denver, Colorado the highlights of London. It was his first time in England. In contrast, Thanh and I have been to the capital of the United Kingdom many times. During the weekend of Pentecost 2026, we went together for a weekend of museums, food, and a concert.
A loop as a creative solution for serving Cologne Main Station on a Frankfurt–London route?
Deutsche Bahn (DB) and Eurostar have teamed up to make a Germany to United Kingdom high-speed train link possible. But as independent railway commentator and specialist in cross-border passenger train connections Jon Worth knows, there are a few hurdles.