The Hague, the Dutch seat of government and home to over 500 international organisations, is pushing to restore its direct rail connection to Brussels in Belgium by 2029. The city, which hosts institutions like the International Criminal Court, the United Nation’s International Court of Justice, and Europol, currently lacks a direct passenger link to the…
Tag: Nederlandse Spoorwegen
GoVolta to launch Amsterdam – Antwerp – Ghent – Paris route on 14 December as Berlin services expand and Hamburg link ends
Dutch train operator GoVolta has announced a major expansion of its cross-border services, with a new daily Amsterdam to Paris route set to launch on 14 December 2026. The company is also increasing its Berlin services to six times a week from July, while suspending its Hamburg link due to low passenger numbers.
REVIEW | Travelling Eurostar Premier class (Paris) – Brussels – Cologne
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…
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.
FLIXTRAIN | New Talgo high-speed fleet confined to Germany, European ambitions dropped
Seven months after heralding “a new era of train travel in Germany and Europe“, FlixTrain has reversed course. The company has confirmed that its €2.4 billion order of 65 new high-speed trains will now be deployed exclusively within Germany, abandoning earlier plans to use the fleet for international services. The German privateer announced its plans…
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.
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.
Leo Express and Arenaways plan direct train between Prague and Venice
The Czech railway company Leo Express, in cooperation with the Italian carrier Arenaways, is planning a new direct rail connection between Prague in Czechia and Venice in Italy.
Flixtrain wants to run trains in the Netherlands
FlixTrain is preparing to launch direct services in the Netherlands, according to Flix chief executive André Schwämmlein, RailTech reports. Flixtrain is currently active in Germany.
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.