Eurostar will introduce direct services from London St Pancras International to Antwerp-Central Railway Station from 14 December 2026, eliminating the need for passengers travelling from the United Kingdom to change trains in Brussels-South.
Tag: Rail
BELGIUM | Fête du Rail 2026 on 15 and 16 August in the Bocq Valley
Rail enthusiasts and families will once again head to the Bocq Valley next month as the annual Fête du Rail returns on Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 August. Organised by Patrimoine Ferroviaire et Tourisme – Toerisme en SpoorPatrimonium (PFT-TSP), the two-day festival will showcase Belgium‘s railway heritage along the scenic Bocq Railway (Chemin de Fer…
GERMANY | Italo confirms €3.6 billion investment to launch high-speed trains, signs €3 billion Siemens rolling stock deal
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…
Belgian Council of Ministers approves roadmap to open rail market to competition after 2032
During the last Council of Ministers – a weekly meeting of government ministers – before the 2026 summer recess, the Belgian Government has approved the strategy and guiding principles for a far-reaching reform of Belgium‘s passenger rail market, marking the first formal step towards opening public rail services to competition after the current public service…
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.
NMBS / SNCB turns 100 on 23 July and holds nationwide celebrations in the coming months
Belgium‘s national railway operator NMBS / SNCB will celebrate a major milestone next week as it marks the 100th anniversary of its creation. On 23 July 2026, exactly one century after the Belgian Parliament approved the law establishing the railway company in 1926, passengers and railway staff will be treated to special anniversary activities, while…
France welcomes 102 million visitors and earns €77.5 billion from tourism in record-breaking 2025
I turned 45 in June. I have this tradition – when possible – of not being in Belgium for my birthday. From Sweden in 2013 to the Châteaux of the Loire Valley in 2014, Lake Orta in 2015, Rome in 2016, London in 2018, North Carolina and Virginia in 2019, England in 2022, and Rotterdam…
REVIEW | Mazda Museum in Hiroshima
Autumn 2025. We – Sam and Danny, Michel and Wille, and Timothy – are travelling to Japan for a quite classic tour of the Land of the Rising Sun. We are flying separately as we used miles. On the planning: Tokyo, Kanazawa, Shirakawa, Osaka, and Expo 2025, Hiroshima, Himeji, Miyajima, Kyoto, Nara, Nagoya, Hakone, and…
Arriva expands Paris rail ambitions with extra The Hague to Belgium connections
Dutch rail operator Arriva has unveiled plans to significantly expand its international rail ambitions by adding direct services from The Hague and Amersfoort to Paris, complementing its previously announced Groningen to Paris route. The company is now targeting a launch in early 2028, although it acknowledges that the timeline remains uncertain.
EUROSTAR | From Brussels to London in Eurostar Plus (2026)
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.