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: The Hague
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.
NETHERLANDS | Rising international visitor numbers, domestic travel showed signs of stagnation in 2025
Tourism in the Netherlands continued to grow in 2025, driven almost entirely by rising international demand, even as domestic travel showed signs of stagnation.
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.
NETHERLANDS | Leiden in South Holland
May 2025. I have a few days off so I decide to take a train to Leiden (Leyden, Leyde) in the Dutch province of South Holland to visit the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden, or the National Museum of Antiquities. Steve, my former Latin and Ancient Greek teacher in my teen years, says it’s quite good. As…
REVIEW | Rijksmuseum van Oudheden or National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden
May 2025. I have a few days off so I decide to take a train to Leiden (Leyden, Leyde) in the Dutch province of South Holland to visit the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden, or the National Museum of Antiquities. Steve, my former Latin and Ancient Greek teacher in my teen years, says it’s quite good. As…
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.
EuroGames 2028 / 2029 / 2030 coupled to Antwerp Pride
The 18th edition (since 2008) of Antwerp Pride takes place from Wednesday 6 to Sunday 10 August 2025 in Antwerp. This year’s theme is “Do not just march! Listen. Understand. Commit”. Prides are a mix of celebration – parties – and activism and advocacy. For the 2025 edition, the organising committee focuses on belonging. Belonging…
Hamont – Weert on foot, because the train connection still isn’t there
Dutch rail infrastructure manager ProRail counts the Weert – Hamont rail connection as one of the future links between the Netherlands and Belgium. But while there are tracks, there is still no (passenger) train connection. So I walked it it on a February 2025 Wednesday. Also, crossing a border on foot has a lot of…
GoVolta wants to run trains from Amsterdam to Bruges
Dutch railway company GoVolta has submitted applications for three new international train services from January 2027. The new rail operator has submitted applications to the Autoriteit Consument & Markt (ACM), the authority for consumer and market in the Netherlands for trains to Bruges in Belgium and Hamburg and Frankfurt in Germany.