On 8 February 2024, the Nederlandse Spoorwegen, NS, presented its 2025 timetable. We already new there would be two Benelux / Amsterdammer / Brusselaar / Intercity Brussel train services per hour. But there’s more news. The Benelux train will swap Amsterdam Central Station for Amsterdam South (Amsterdam Zuid) due to engineering works and the service…
Tag: TGV
Belgium European champion for rail tourism
Previously, we shared the Eurostat statistics regarding intra-European Union travel in 2021. One notable statistic is the means of transport. Belgium is – or at least was in 2021 – champion at rail tourism.
SNCF and NMBS / SNCB to link Paris to Brussels with ‘slow’ classic train in about 3 hours from December 2024
France‘s national train operator SNCF Voyageurs has submitted an application to the French transport authority to start driving between Brussels and Paris with Belgian rolling stock from December 2024, Treinreiziger.nl reports.
REVIEW | Trenitalia Frecciarossa 1000 Paris – Milan in Business Executive
October 2022. As we wanted to test Trenitalia‘s Frecciarossa 1000 service from Paris to Milan, we planned a rail trip around it. From Antwerp to Paris with Thalys, the ‘Red Arrow’ to Milan and once in Italy continuing to Trieste and Bologna. The return trip took us to Basel in Switzerland to enjoy SBB‘s panoramic…
Monkeypox vaccine, an excuse for a day trip to Lille
Summer 2022. The monkeypox virus is spreading, almost exclusively amongst men who have sex with men (MSM). In Belgium it was and is almost impossible to be vaccinated. But in France, conditions are less strict. The Centre De Dépistage Anonyme Et Gratuit (CeGIDD) or Anonymous and Free Screening Centre in Lille (Rijsel) announced a day…
Thalys Brussels – Paris – Brussels – Antwerp in 2022
Paris! I haven’t been to the Ville Lumière since my January 2019 visit with Bert and Wim. Also, this March 2022 getaway in Paris marks the first overnight excursion with Thanh since our 2012 visit of the capital of France. Ten years ago!
International Railway Union working on facilitating night trains, but very aware of the many challenges
Enthusiasm for night trains is on the rise. At least on paper, the night train offer in Europe is expanding. But there are quite a few challenges. Yet, the Union Internationale des Chemins de fer or UIC is optimistic. “The infrastructure is there, so it should be made full use of at night”, says Philippe…
Trenitalia aspires to run trains from Milan to Brussels and Amsterdam
From 18 December 2021, Trenitalia operates a daily high speed train service between Milan, Turin, Lyon and Paris. In the future the subsidiary of the Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane (FS) also wants trains from Italy to Brussels in Belgium and Amsterdam in the Netherlands. Trenitalia has also ambitions in the United Kingdom and in Spain.
Eurostar ex-Thalys trains will keep ‘ruby’ red livery after 2024 merger
Thalys is refurbishing its trains at considerable expense. In 2024, Thalys will merge with Eurostar. Thalys will disappear as brand. Eurostar has blue and yellow as main colours. So is the refurbishing a costly activity? Thalys CEO Bertrand Gosselin says the ex-Thalys trains will remain red.
REVIEW | Orient-Express exhibition at Train World, Brussels’ railway museum
Today, Train World in Brussels‘ Schaerbeek railway station opened its Orient-Express exhibition. The exhibition recounts the story of this legendary train brand and its creator, Georges Nagelmackers.