November and December 2017. During my solo trip to Taiwan – the vacation which was a catalyst to start Trip By Trip – I met Ugo. Fast forward to August 2025. Ugo is touring Europe and we decided to meet up. Showing him Antwerp was an option, but fitting the metropolis into his itinerary was…
Tag: Maastricht
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…
Belgium and the Netherlands work on Brussels to Eindhoven direct train, possibly via Antwerp
Belgium and the Netherlands have taken a step towards improving cross-border rail connectivity, with a potential direct Brussels to Eindhoven train emerging as one of the most symbolic and politically significant projects in a newly signed joint declaration on rail cooperation.
The Tri-Country Train a role model for the Basque Country?
In March 2025, Basque Minister of Sustainable Mobility Susana García Chueca (PSE Euskadi) recently embarked on a two-day trip to Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium as part of a European cooperation project focused on cross-border rail connectivity. The Minister and others were hosted by the Aachener Verkehrsverbund (AVV) or Aachen Transport Association.
REVIEW | Rijksmuseum van Oudheden or National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden
May 2025. I have a few days off so I decide to take a train to Leiden (Leyden, Leyde) in the Dutch province of South Holland to visit the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden, or the National Museum of Antiquities. Steve, my former Latin and Ancient Greek teacher in my teen years, says it’s quite good. As…
27 SEPTEMBER 2025 | Farewell Tour for ‘Benelux’ Intercityrijtuig (ICR) coaches in the Netherlands and Belgium
On Saturday 27 September 2025, a special heritage train will operate across the Netherlands and Belgium to mark the approaching withdrawal of the last Intercityrijtuig (ICR) coaches from regular service.
NMBS / SNCB sees popularity increase of international train travel
Year after year, Belgian railway operator NMBS / SNCB is seeing growing interest in international train travel during the summer months. Since 2019, the number of bookings via NMBS / SNCB International has increased by more than 50 per cent, the operator says in a press release.
Hamont – Weert on foot, because the train connection still isn’t there
Dutch rail infrastructure manager ProRail counts the Weert – Hamont rail connection as one of the future links between the Netherlands and Belgium. But while there are tracks, there is still no (passenger) train connection. So I walked it it on a February 2025 Wednesday. Also, crossing a border on foot has a lot of…
TRI-COUNTRY TRAIN | Taking a peek at Heerlen and Aachen
After years of being in the pipeline, the (in)famous Tri-Country Train started running in the summer of 2024. Operated by Arriva and with NMBS / SNCB personnel on the Belgian side of the route, the Drielandentrein, Dreiländerzug or Train des trois pays connects Liège in the eponymous province in Belgium to Maastricht in the province…
VIDEO | NS present CAF Civity Duo ‘Dubbeldekker Nieuwe Generatie’, poised to be the NMBS / SNCB AM30
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.