Two major developments in European rail underline how international long-distance services are expanding both through new open-access routes and major infrastructure upgrades. Private operator Leo Express from Czechia is preparing its first move into the German passenger market with a trans-European service from Frankfurt to the Polish–Ukrainian border, while Austria’s ÖBB has launched a dramatically…
Tag: Rail
2026 | Bpost marks 100 years of NMBS / SNCB with a stamp
In 2026, the National Railway Company of Belgium, or Nationale Maatschappij der Belgische Spoorwegen (NMBS) in Dutch and Société Nationale des Chemins de fer Belges (SNCB) in French, turns 100 years old. To commemorate this anniversary, bpost is issuing a series of stamps.
Leo Express files plans for extraordinary 2026 Bratislava–Ostend and Venice–Northern Germany services
Leo Express has formally notified Schienen-Control in Austria of its intention to launch two unusual new open-access rail services: a year-round Bratislava–Ostend line from December 2026, and a seasonal Venice–Heringsdorf / Kiel service beginning in summer 2026. The filings, submitted on 11 December 2025, appear in the Austrian regulator’s register of planned new commercial rail…
European Sleeper to launch Amsterdam and Brussels to Milan night train service, delays Barcelona plans
European Sleeper, the Belgian–Dutch cooperative behind several recent night train initiatives, will launch a new three-times-weekly night train linking Amsterdam Central and Brussels-South with Milan from 18 June 2026. This marks the company’s second new international night-train route for next year, following the previously announced Paris–Brussels–Berlin service that begins at the end of March 2026.
Reorganising train travel in Belgium by 2050: going for the Swiss or the Dutch model?
On 4 December 2025, the Federal Public Service Mobility and Transport has published the executive summary of a groundbreaking study – ‘Lange termijn exploitatiemodel van het spoornetwerk‘ – that redefines how Belgium plans the future of its rail system. This is the first feasibility study ever produced for an integrated long-term timetable covering the entire…
SWITZERLAND | No federal subsidies for night train from Basel to Malmö in Sweden, SBB CFF FFS cancels service
The Swiss Parliament has decided not to allocate federal subsidies for the planned night train from Basel in Switzerland to Malmö in Sweden, forcing SBB CFF FFS to cancel the project.
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.
Deutsche Bahn to offer a Cologne – Ostend / Bruges / Ghent – Cologne high-speed train connection in the summer of 2026?
Is Deutsche Bahn planning a direct ICE high-speed train link from Cologne in North Rhine-Westphalia to Ostend in West Flanders? VagonWeb, the leading website from Czechia that collects train compositions throughout Europe, thinks so.
NMBS / SNCB to order 180 CAF Civity trains, including battery-powered sets
The Board of Directors of the National Railway Company of Belgium, the NMBS / SNCB, is set to award the contract for the new MR30 / AM30 trains to manufacturer Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF) from the Basque Country in Spain, Thibault Lapers‘ mobilithib blog has learned from a source.
FRANCE | Train excursion to Maubeuge and Lille
September 2025. A few days before our Journey Across Japan, Sam, Danny, and I went an a day excursion to Maubeuge and Lille in France, just across the border with Belgium. Some proper #CrossBorderRail. From Charleroi-Central Railway Station in Wallonia, there is an S63 suburban train (while the scenery is very green and nut urban…
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