Belgium’s national railway operator, NMBS / SNCB, will stop selling tickets on board its trains from 1 July 2026. The decision, NMBS / SNCB’s leadership argues, follows a sharp rise in aggression towards staff, with 2,602 incidents recorded in 2025 – an average of seven per day – up from 2,103 in 2024. Will the…
Tag: Spain
RAIL BALTICA | Tallinn – Valga / Valka – Riga – Vilnius by train
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…
FORMULA 1 | Barcelona-Catalunya and Belgium to rotate Grand Prix
Formula 1 secures a long-term future for the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix (formerly Spanish Grand Prix, which moves to the Madring in Madrid) and Belgian Grands Prix, with Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix confirmed until 2032, alternating with Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium.
LATVIA | 1.5 days in Riga
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…
Belgium slips to 4th in European LGBTQIA+ rights ranking: stagnation and unaddressed gaps
Belgium has dropped from second to fourth place on the Rainbow Map & Index 2026, ILGA Europe’s annual ranking of LGBTQIA+ rights across the continent. The ranking, published on 12 May 2026, reveals a troubling trend: while Belgium has long been regarded as a pioneer in LGBTQIA+ rights, its failure to address critical gaps has…
RAINBOW EUROPE MAP AND INDEX 2026 | Spain breaks Malta’s decade-long hold on Europe’s LGBTQIA+ rights top spot
As the rules-based international order fractures and democracy is under pressure from east and west, Spain‘s top ranking in ILGA-Europe‘s Rainbow Map of 49 countries on LGBTI human rights laws and policies stands as proof that political courage remains the most powerful answer. Belgium retains its score of 85% but falls to forth in the ranking,…
10 things to do at your next Gran Canaria visit
This weekend the Maspalomas Pride Parade 2026 culminates with the parade in Playa del Inglés. Many LGBT tourists will be locking themselves up in the gay bars of Yumbo Shopping Centre. But why not enjoy the entire island on your next visit? I rented a car, traveled the island and experienced first-hand ten things that…
Italo plans €3.6 billion challenge to Deutsche Bahn with major expansion into Germany
Italian high-speed rail operator Italo is preparing a major expansion into Germany with a €3.6 billion investment plan aimed at challenging Deutsche Bahn’s dominance of the country’s long-distance rail market.
LEO EXPRESS | Renfe deploys Talgo VI trains in Central Europe to launch new Czech-Slovak rail links
Spain‘s state-owned operator Renfe has introduced its Talgo VI rolling stock in Central Europe, enabling its subsidiary Leo Express to launch new international services between Czechia and Slovakia.
Sweden invests in Talgo night trains: “a sustainable, comfortable leap for northern travel”
Sweden’s national transport authority, Trafikverket, signed a landmark €756 million contract with Spanish manufacturer Talgo on 20 April 2026, securing a new fleet of modern night and daytime trains. The agreement, celebrated in Stockholm with Sweden’s minister of infrastructure and housing, Andreas Carlson, and Talgo’s president, José Antonio Jainaga, marks a major step towards revitalising…