Review of one of the oldest and unrefurbished Belgian regional trains
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- Опубликовано: 6 окт 2024
- Hi everyone, welcome to this trip report bound to Antwerpen, the most beautiful station in the world.
Don't hesitate to leave a comment
TRIP INFORMATION -
Railway company : SNCB
Train type : AM75
From : Brussels to Antwerpen (Belgium)
Duration : 46 min
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I love how you are so enthousiastic and appreciative about things Belgians complain about on a daily basis.
yeah the EU
@@swellerbunion8867 Maybe also what people say when they complain?
Belgium has a great train service, always on time, cheap especially at weekends,brilliant stations especially antwerp
@@declanburke3746 trains being on time is a joke.
In Belgium you're obligated to complain about every inconvenience and to shut up about everything good
I feel sorry for everyone that has to take this train on a daily, the AM75 is nice for special occasions, but hot in the summer and not so comfortable for long distance
Reminds me of the old style Class 207 I rode on at the Spa Valley Railway... that didn't even have inter-carriage gangways!
But from Brussel Centraal you can take better trains till Antwerpen ...
Ksandur cuz they dont have air conditioning
I thought they stopped with this train before 2019! I regularly take trains to Brussels, Gent, Brugge , Antwerpen! Didnt see such trains past year.
Dépends on what time, there are still old trains that go to antwerpen
Haha your opinion on the soap dispenser at 6:48 made me laugh 😆
it's true though. I've been on a lot of trains of NMBS/SNCB and they don't maintain the toilets very well.
Agree
Yep
@@TheBelgianCE NO
@@SimplyRailway - I do feel for you, even the short BRU-ANR journey on this lump of scrap metal is reason enough to file for a massive compensation for emotional pain and suffering from the DB, but let me tell you that your AM75 has been an exceptionally well-maintained one. I once changed from an NS Sprinter to an SNCB IC towards Liege in Maastricht and lost the will to live for quite a bit (and the will to return to Liege forever, but then the city's logo is inspired by the hand gesture that started this thread...)
The line you mentioned at the end of the video, will be the last piece of railway to complete the full HSL project in Belgium. It will diverge from L25N (The line from the airport and Brussels North, used by Thalys) to by-pass Mechelen station at 160 km/h instead of the current 100 km/h through the current platforms 7 and 10. It will connect to L25 (The Brussels - Antwerp line) at Mechelen-Nekkerspoel and so on to Antwerp. They’re also building platforms 11-12 on the by-pass in order to smoothen out the train patterns in order to decrease the likeness of delays around the Mechelen area!
Nowadays, the IC’s have to wait for awhile at platforms 8-9 or on a relief line before the station to give a Thalys the priority on the through line to Antwerp. It happens daily and most (Essen-) Antwerp-Brussels (- Charleroi-Sud) services through peak hours are usually delayed by 10-15 mins. This will dramatically increase reliability. Also, Mechelen Station will be completely rebuilt. (More info on both the by-pass and station: www.tucrail.be/fr/projects/nouvelles-infrastructures/rail-bypass-mechelen).
Who knows what the future may bring on L25(N), maybe a speed upgrade to 200 km/h between Mechelen and Hove or an extra IC service totalling to 5 tph. Keep up the good work with your videos, you’re doing an amazing job!
Kind regards, a member of staff from NMBS/SNCB.
For quite some time when waiting at platform 10 in Mechelen you could lean out of the window... into a terrifying canyon right next to your train (where they dug out the foundations for the extra platforms). Made you not want to move inside your train for fear of it falling off that cliff.
Belgium is just amazing... they've really gone far with their high speed plans.
Still not ready yet in mechelen, why does it take years?
The line you saw isn't in use yet. It's going to be a high speed line to connect Malines and Brussels And so that these high speed trains can pass through the station at higher speeds on newer tracks
Indeed, it's a new bypass of the train station in Mechelen. It will allow a speed of 160 km/h instead of 100 km/h when passing through the station: infrabel.be/fr/projet/bypass-malines
Just a note: what the two of you call "Malines" and "Mechelen" is called "Mechlin" in English.
@@jovada Den dag dat de trein met 100 per uur door een station rijdt, eet ik mijn klak op
@@yagi3925 It's simply called Mechelen in English nowadays. Just like Leuven, Kortrijk, Roeselare and all those other places that were known by their French names a century ago. Brugge is still known as Bruges to most Brits but they are trying to stamp out that name too. If Mumbai and Beijing can do it, then so can Brugge. ;)
@@ixlnxs _Yangon/Rangoon, Bengaluru/Bangalore & Odisha/Orissa have entered the chat too?_
In the Netherlands, we call the AM75 ''Varkensneus''.
Which translated means 'pigs nose'. You can see why at 2:35
Exactly! The Dutch speaking Belgians also do call this train the same!
The Dutch have a tendency to call trains after animals' heads: dogs, monkeys...
We have many names for it in Flanders. "Den 800", "De vierledige", "De Varkensneus", "het oud stuk schandalig kutmaterieel",..
@@Nicdehouwer Remember the other trains from the same era, the "Duikbril?"
I took those trains everyday to school 22 years ago , it's like travelling back in time. Nice work. Greetings from Belgium
That train reminds me of uk trains that haven’t been used since the 90s. Very retro. Love it! All it needs is slam doors
I miss slam door trains. When I was younger I went on holiday with my family and we all preferred the one slam door train we went on over the Virgin train pendolinos we were on! It was just wider and easier to deal with the suitcases we had. My mum swore we were never doing it by train again, it was always coaches from then on. (Oxford to Portsmouth, we had to change once on the way and once back, I still remember seeing a train that had exhaust pipes on all the carriages, I've never seen one like that since!)
@@sapphireseptember I used to travel on them a lot. The big benches could be surprisingly comfortable but in winter the slam doors were draughty as well. They were also poor in an accident as Clapham demonstrated.
The first time I travelled on a Belgian train ( 2nd class) the seats were wooden slats. First class looked like it was covered in green carpet
It's interesting that you're French and you use the name "Brussel Zuid", not "Bruxelles Midi"
Hummus That’s awful yes...
But he does use the French version SNCB rather than the Flemish NMBS name for the rail.
In Frankrijk zeggen we Bruxelles midi omdat Brussels Zuid niet klopt . And Bruxelles = Brussels
Well, Brussels is geographically in Flanders a bit, so yeah.
@@remirms2239 Geographically, yes. But Brussels is... well.. it's Brussels. It's a bit of an outlier. Not really either Walloon or Flemish, but both, and more.
I took this train hundreds of times, until about three years ago these were the standard trains on my line. Now you just see them once in a while. They’re fine as long as it isn’t summer.
I love them in summer because you can open those slide windows and feel the breeze. But hey I live in Vietnam so hot and humid is no issue for me ;)
That line you asked about, it goes from mechelen to the airport zaventem. ( i know because i am a machinist my self 😁)
In English, Mechlin.
Mechelen in English.
Several years ago I got on a train from Rozendaal to Antwerpen and this was the rolling stock. I just couldn't believe what a blast from the past it was
00:50
The big stations maybe, but the ticket offices in the smaller stations are all being cut, or have adysmal opening hours.
Even few small stations are disappearing, cutting costs !
Hai,
There is a website called beluxtrains.net where you can find what train stock you will ride.(Belgium and Luxemburg but also international trains departing in the BeLux) Just enter the train number.
Edit: you must try the I6 stock, its really nice! He drive between Luxemburg and Brussels!
Another tip: The station of Liège-Guillemins is fantastic tooooooo!
Damn I live in Luxembourg, didnt know that! Most of the time you already know which train stock you get here though.
2:48 it sounds like and old IVA rolling stock from Bucharest subway ('78- '89)
Wow, old stock on main line??? On Intercity???
I love Belgium 😅😍
It's not fun when it's 40°C out there.
True
In ghent it was 43 and in my home i was 46
We still have 5 of them running
Soon they're gonna be off rails 😪😥
Loved the video. If you have time for a review, i highly recommend the line from Oostende to Eupen in Belgium.
The ladies at your back were talking in Hungarian, arguing where should they get off.
Vannak még itt magyarok, látom :D
Én is felkaptam rá a fejem 😄
Tags are vandalism.
In my country there'd be a criminal investigation, due to concerns that the presence of graffiti signifies that train security is too lax, possibly allowing more nefarious actions e.g. brake tampering
Ah, the abandoned industrial zone between France and The Netherlands, Belgium
you mean wallonia?
@@izedawidka lol
Another great report. I've travelled on these AM75 trains many times.... I quite like the older stock, feels solid and rides comfortably. However, the standard class seats are not best suited for longer journeys. I'm not sure why so many trains are covered in graffiti in Belgium... they obviously have poor security in their holding depots, which is worrying in many other ways.
Amazing trains. This one specific (838) was the first train I drove myself. It's high comfort for IC trains but is mostly used as S/L (city/local) trains. First class is really worth it in these trains. Also called the pig nose (varkensneus) or simply "an 800". Really enjoy your videos! I learn stuff about certain material that I didn't even know yet.
Damn, even our trains in Italy are better than this... (I've never thought I could say that)
Italy just bought some old belgian trains
In Northern Italy there are very good trains.
@@luxembourger yup
You do realise that particular train model is the oldest one still in use? Most are more modern.
@@AM-mr2fx Italy is building trains for northern countries, not the contrary dude
i miss those old trains, the way they were brings me back to the late 2000s and early 2010s
The bad old days lol
Ik just saw your video. Refirbishing and modernize the am75(vierledige) is my daily job. Drilling, grinding, welding,.....
i once got on an even older one. The seats were mostly in woodwork and you had enclosed cabinets. so you had a little cabinet with 4 seats in it and a door. (and a table) I got put here during a 3 hour delay so it was most likely the only spare train they had. It drove kind of wobbly but it was the coolest ride i ever did.
The line at 7:15 is the "high speed trains by-pass" of Mechelen. It is essentially the 25N from Brussels Airport being extended to Mechelen and beyond instead of connecting to the 25. This connexion to the 25 was causing delays as the trains on the 25 always had to stop to allow the priority international trains to the Netherlands go first. -Sébastien, train driver for SNCB
I rode this train a couple time from Antwerp to Roosendal ND. Very warm and cosy
At least the designers assumed that people travel with luggage. In modern trains it often is a problem where to leave it.
when he said antwerpen station in the most beautiful station in the world i fell in love
Great video. Can't believe that SNCB/NMBS are still using AM75 stock on InterCity services!
They'll be out of service next year, except for the few refurbished ones
I think the trains, when refurbished would still be great working, and spacious. It would still be good for short distance stop train. Only urgent need is a stronger airconditioning for in the summer, and a nice makeover of toliets!
They should install vandal-resistant surfaces on the refurbished ones
Very nice video. I forgot to mention in last one but the upgrades to the equipment does show quite well on the quality of the final video. Keep it up.
Correction: Brussel-Zuid - Antwerpen = Dutch. The name of the railway company is NMBS in Dutch.
Bruxelles-Midi - Anvers = French. The name of the railway is SNCB in French.
There are different types of trains. I haven't seen one in years, so it is funny that you filmed one here.
Btw a lot of ticket offices are closed now or not open all day. You have to buy your tickets at the machines, which are very slowly and often broke. You just got lucky, because in Brussels, our capital, there are other opening hours.
If you want to buy your ticket on the train, you pay an extra 7€.
I've been taken the train on a daily basis since 18 years now. It's not bad, but lots of points to improve.
In Dutch is nationaal maatschappij Belgische spoorwegen 😏 thank me later I'm dutch
I remember the first time I went to Antwerp by train from The Netherlands and being a bit shocked by the fact that these things are still riding around 😂😂
You could just smell the old cigarette smoke in the cabin, it made so much noise and the outside was covered in graffiti. You're passing these big stations that just basically look abandoned.
Such a difference with The Netherlands... here it's rare to even see a train riding around covered in tags
Dat is juist het leuke eraan. Dat ouderwetse hier en daar.
@@mariemela5632 Ja, dat vind ik ook leuk. Maar het is ook veel achterstallig onderhoud en dat vind ik zonde...
I remember taking this line during a heatwave in 2015 July. Not a pleasant journey. Regarding power sockets, only the really new coaches being implemented on the Eupen - Ostende weekend trains have power outlets at every seat. I frequently travel between Liege and Tournai during weekends and the long journeys are really boring with my now old laptop who's battery doesn't last longer than an hour and a half.
02:39 I'm surprised to see they're still around. I definitely rode in several of these back when I was living in Belgium in the 80s. Wow!
The first class thing is something you will find on every Belgian train, it's always empty, except for the train personell who all have free cards for the first class and chill there together
Jeez I work at SNCB and didn't even know we still had one of those old burgundy paint scheme AM75 with the old seats around xD
This must be like one of the last surviving ones.
We have plenty of "Quadruples" in Charleroi but all have been refurbished quite some time ago (They're even ETCS compliant and all)
This stock is used for that line because it can handle the Dutch 1500V ( as opposed to Belgian 3000V) at limited speed. It can do that because it is electrically very simple.
I’ve never been on a train but after this I think I change my mind.
The tracks you didn’t know, are the new tracks at Mechelen. They will become platforms 11 & 12 on the line 25N from Mechelen-Nekkerspoel to the Airport (Zaventem).
The new line under construction is part of a big reconstruction around Mechelen station. It is an extra line from the station to Brussels Airport you see in 7.00
Greetings from the Netherlands (!) by Arie Bert Verteeg. Antwerpen Centraal is very very beautifyul; you are right!! :-)
i live in Aachen and i really love belgian train travel... good service, superb prices, always on time in comparison to the german Bundesbahn
I really like old and noisy trains! It's the real railway experience, unfortunately disapearing more and more... Btw, if you ever come to Berlin you have to visit the Museum for Technology (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_Museum_of_Technology )! Among other things it has a huge railway departement.
Its disappearing because your opinion is like in a 0.1% minority
@@eetuthereindeer6671 Your oppinion on my oppinion is a wrong one.
@@5mnz7fg i guess you only talk about it with train enthusiasts. But if asked by a regular passanger im pretty sure they all prefer they quietness :)
Au vu de la qualité de la vidéo, j'ai hâte de voir un comparatif avec ces mêmes AM modernisée !
Big up d'un conducteur de train qui assure souvent les IC de Bruxelles à Anvers !
La ligne que tu as vu (juste avant l’arrivée à Malines) vient d’être construite et sert au passage notamment des Thalys et intercity qui viennent de l’aéroport.
The graffiti on the trains in Europe are a disgrace, are they not cleaned off?!
yes they are cleaned, but they get resparyed with graffiti just as quickly...
English trains rarely have grafitti on them, so it seems to just be a mainland Europe thing.
@@thomashambly3718 they used to be a lot worse especially on the tube but better security and harsh penalties has greatly reduced it. Also a tagged train is never run in service so the taggers don't get the encouragement of seeing their tags moving.
There is no way that loco or the other sets would ever be run in the UK looking like that .
@@thomashambly3718 sure no graffiti at all
www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-merseyside-53573970
www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/graffiti-gang-who-caused-77000-14925236
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/highlands_and_islands/8051449.stm
www.plymouthherald.co.uk/news/plymouth-news/graffiti-artists-risking-lives-paint-1744960
www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/news/grimsby-news/how-graffiti-vandal-covered-entire-1993737
www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/shameless-graffiti-gang-film-themselves-8614300
honestly I have gotten used to the graffiti on the Belgian trains, its culture I guess. A decade or so back a few british guys came over to the country i currently reside in - singapore - and sprayed the trains... dang they got a spanking. I think when/if the authorities in europe decide to become more serious like they are in singapore, the graffiti will disappear, but until then I guess it'll remain a European culture thing.
Aaaah... I remember sweating my balls off in these for a few weeks back when I had to take them to go to my summer job 😌
That wasn't actually another Desiro, you just overtook it cause it stops at every station you passed. :D
Once I ment to travel with the double decker with my dad to the airport. This would have been my first ever double decker train ride, and then one of these came. I was 5 at the time.
3:30 Hungarians having no idea where they are. 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Ces petites excursions sur le réseau SNCB sont vraiment plaisantes. Bon, un antique AM75, avec sa livrée toute aussi antique, rien d'anormal, tu es entré par le coté le moins moderne de BXL-Sud :-))
christophe77700 La Belgique est un vrai musée
This train was my first ever impression of Belgium. I crossed the border from France and took the train from Erquelinnes. I couldn't believe my eyes what the hell am I travelling on. Few minutes into the ride, a ticket inspector came accompanied by a policeman and a soldier. At that moment I already thought I fell through some wormhole into the year 1945 or so 😂😂 (The presence of the police and army was later explained, it was due to recent terrorist attacks in France, it was in 2015).
Yes these are old trains. They are loud and very very hot in summer. Most of these trains are dirty and old, but the seats are cool and comfy.
The line you couldn't find anything about is from the diablo project I believe.
Could also be the new line the are going to be using for the renewed Mechelen staion. Wich I believe it is since the video is from august 2019 and the diablo project was completed somewhere in 2012 I believe.
Hey, SNCB (NMBS) did said their 1st class weren't good enough.inreaded that on the internet also, but they also said that they will do more things in the 1st class on the new m7. They want to make the 1st class more comfortable.. If its correct what the internet said
It is, I saw pictures of the interior on test trains and they definitely improved it
NMBS (as most Belgians would call it) is overall good value for money. I have a car in Belgium but use NMBS trains as much as I can when I'm there. And whenever I go from Antwerp to Brussels I try to use the slowest trains because they tend to be the oldest. Though of course this year I haven't been able to come over as I'm happy to live in a virtually corona-free country.
I hope I'll be seeing this scene again soon, without any worry about some virus being spread.
Visited Brussels by train a number of times when my brother lived there.
Good times.
Cheers from Norway.
You probably won't be seeing this exact scene anymore, as most AM75s have been refurbished, only two or three left in this state, and they'll go soon.
I see evidence of refurbishment. Reupholstered and/or replaced seats and it looks like the interior has been worked on, but maybe not recently. In the U.S., though, that train would be considered state-of-the-art technology. :/
@ 5:10 you've spotted Luckas Vander Taelen: a Belgian journalist, singer and former Member of the European Parliament.
Chouette vidéo ;) Cela fait comique d'avoir quelqu'un qui ne se plaint pas de nos vieux "nez-de-cochons" (c'est comme ça qu'on les appelle entre cheminots) :)
Et j'ai beau aller très souvent à Antwerpen Centraal, je m'émerveille toujours devant cette magnifique gare n_n
I think these arent used much ICE anymore. I occasionally have this AM75 because I live at an end station in Belgium, where its pretty remote so they give us the old trains.
You live next to Essen or Puurs?
I love how you use the Dutch name for Brussels Midi, but use the French name of the train operator (SNCB, NMBS in Dutch)
There's still some wagons with seperated compartments on the line Brussels - Arlon ;)
Your video report is very interesting I love it! Congratulation ! So I’m from the south of Belgium and I usually take the SNCB train but your train is very special. The color red is very amazing. When I take the train from Namur to Brussels or from Brussels to Ostend I always have a white one and a new ! Yes I know it’s impossible to understand SNCB ahahah. By the way I have to go to Antwerp!
Thanks for the review - looks like SNCB forgot to refurbish these trains about a decade or two ago! Love the seats, I'm sure they were fine for 45 minutes. This train really seems more commuter than intercity though, in 2nd class at least.
Also, it has to be asked, do the Belgians have a problem with security of their trains? Last time I saw trains with this much tagging/graffiti was the 1980s New York City subway. It definitely does not make for a good impression, especially on their newer trains. Most train depots (yards in the US) have good security and CCTV now, I would think, to avoid this from happening.
Yea the cops don't do anything in this country and even serial killers only get 3 years of jail time
Those benches (3:55), on one side they are too big for 2 passengers but too small for 3 passengers, and on the other side the bench is too large for 1 person, but too small for 2. So when it's crowded, 5 people can sit in a row being very uncomfortable, too close together.
Wow, soo sad to see all those graffiti on trains... :(
I thought such things only happened in poorer southern European countries like mine, it's really depressing to see the beautiful Belgian trains vandalised like that too :/
There are thugs in all the countries you know, but apart from the AM75, which will be soon gone, trains are cleaned often
@@imaginox9 Lucky you! Trains in my country are so sadly decrepit that it's not worth using them anymore. Hopefully one day we would learn from you guys...
Belgium is a backwater country.
@@isakaldazwulfazizsunus7564 that is simply not true. Plenty of progress in certain areas. Not on all, but you don't need progress on something that is already finished and perfect. Don't fix what isn't broke
@@VlerkeDamne Yeah some parts of Flanders are fine I guess. Wallonia is a shithole though and Brussels isn't all that much better.
Love Belgian trains and stations. Love the old skool timetables
7:07 You are on line 25 (Brussel-Noord to Antwerpen-Luchtbal). This line just next to line 25 and still under construction when you filmed is line 25N (Mechelen to Schaerbeek) and which goes through Brussels-Airport (Line 36c).
This is an IC?? :O Well it's nice retro, but already in Eastern Europe there are better wagons. Such coaches were used until the 90's on personal trains.
Salut ! Petite suggestion ! Tu devrais faire un review plus "complet" des stations que tu visites 😉
Même si tu l'as déjà fait dans une station en particulier vu qu'il a toujours des nouveaux sur la chaîne, etc ...
Bien vu :)
7:09: c'est le nouveau tronçon de la ligne 25N (tronçon actuel: Schaerbeek - Malines (bifurcation Abeelstraat), futur tronçon: bifurcation Abeelstraat - bifurcation Otterbeek).
BTW, the AM75 is Callens « quadruple or an « 800 » or « a Pigsnose »
OMG, this old thing is still running? 38 years ago, I travelled with this train every day to go to university, even then it was already some years old.... They also used to have an odd smell, don't know if that is still the case today...
Thank you for another enjoyable video
Bonjour,
Le train que tu vois partir avant de prendre le tien est constitué de voiture M5 et non de voiture M6 (elle sont reconnaissable grâce à la couleur grise entre les fenêtres de l'étage du bas)
Hello,
I'm just surprised that you didn't share the fact that there is no beep before door closing and these door can really be a trap if you are not familiar with these train.
One story I have with these train was when mine got delayed by 25 minutes because someone got its hand stuck in the closing door. We had to wait for the ambulance in a stop point (with no employee).
To be honest at some point when I was student I was taking this type of train daily on a L relation and since I had 50 minutes travel + 40 minutes to wait inside the train before departure.
So I was always paying around 3€ to be able to sit in 1st class that were really comfortable.
I already traveled with a modernized one on the other part of the line you traveled and I think this is OK.
Seat are a little less comfortable but still OK and there are power outlet now. Also there is an alarm before door closing and if I remember right there are still place for luggage (not in the same configuration).
Hope that you will have the opportunity to test the refurbished one soon.
There are power outlets above the door
WC = Water Closet, one of the earliest terms for an indoor bathroom, and I believe British in origin, but commonly used in Germany. The graffiti on a lot of European passenger trains is pretty disgusting. Reminds me of NY City subway cars in the 1970s. Now our freight cars in the U. S. look like that, but fortunately most passenger rail providers keep it off of their equipment and discourage taggers by cleaning it off as soon as possible if it happens. They developed paint that makes it easier to remove graffiti. When I was a freight conductor and engineer I always swore if I caught one of those vandals in the act I was going to take the air hose wrench to them.
The Flemish nickname for the MS/AM 75 is "Varkensneus" meaning "Pig's nose"
Awesome video dude! Sad you couldn't go to Aachen. See you next time! :)
Thank you for the review - it looks like a trip down memory lane :)
J'adore ce train complètement dans son jus d'origine ! très belle vidéo
This unrefurbished Belgian train would be state of the art and a vast improvement on Amtrak in the USA.
shut up
@@lopwr1212 Now girls put
the handbags away.😅
I dont know why most trains in Europe had graffitis. It looks dirty.
Its a tradition that comes from the US actually. In New York in the graffiti scene it was tradition to do your work on trains and the ultimate kick was to hang out with your buddies on a rooftop overlooking the train track and try to spot some of your work. So it happens everywhere really, its all about how often the trains are cleaned, apparantly in Belgium not too often.
🤔How many countries you are visited? Are you really visited Europe? I think you lie a little bit.
If you check Belgium's neighbouring countries (France, Germany, Netherlands, Luxembourg) you'll find far less graffiti on trains. Yes, people still spray paint trains, but these are not put into service unless absolutely necessary. So I think that this is more of a Belgian problem than a European problem. For example: you won't find any graffiti on Russian trains, quite possibly because the police won't be so understanding of your artistic expression.
I personally don't mind the graffiti on our trains in Belgium, some of them are pretty nice, it gives some cool vibes
So I use these trains daily, and I know a couple of the train drivers. At the terminus station, where they stay at night, there is little security, easy to climb the fence. It's a well known place for graffiti painters and they even come from far away like germany. As long as you do not paint the driver window, you are very unlikely to be arrested. Police won't even come if you call.
Once I was chilling at a place with a public graffiti wall, and someone who is known to spray trains was trying his design. I found a sheet of paper on the ground with on the one side the sketch for his drawing, and on the other side a court ruling he had to pay 2000 eur for spraying trains.
Yeah ticket offices in France are getting pretty miserable, I believe that's one of the things SNCF has to cut costs for. They count on users to rather go for the machines or buy their tickets online. I was happy to find a desk open at Gare du Nord when my last-train-of-the-day got cancelled though
An unrefurbished AM75? Enjoy, it's a rare thing! They only travel regularly on the line Antwerp-Roosendaal, to the Netherlands, and from Turnhout to Binche. They're being refurbished currently, but by the time they will be finished with all of them the first ones will be ready for scrapping!
They are like 45 to 46 years old
wow in Slovakia everyone criticizes the condition of the trains. I did not expect Belgium to have even worse trains.
why did you call it SNCB, you should also call it NMBS as in NMBS/SNCB. they are the same and I AM PROUD OF THE FIRST ONE. as you can see im flemish xD<
im very suprised that in brussels the stations dont also say NMBS since it bilingual and the flemish name for it is NMBS. but ig that brussels has always had a prefrence for french even tho its located in flanders and i know its not, but i just find it weird (im not starting an argument, so dont)
Amazing train, you have earned a subscriber
C'est bien que tu aies pris une AM75. Comme leur modernisation tourne mal (seules quelques unes le sont et elles tombent souvent en panne) et que les voitures M7 arrivent (d'ailleurs on peut croiser des trains de test assez facilement sur certaines lignes), ils ont décidé de déclasser les AM75 d'ici quelques mois, en janvier 2020 ! Seules les quelques AM75 modernisées resteront.
J'en avais souvent pour aller à l'école dans ma région, en hiver c'était le pied parce que ces trains sont hyper bien chauffés
There's a new livery of am75 if yall realised
Ye tje white yellow ones
Nice to see 'Ox Alien' grafitti on the walls when entering Antwerp (didn't notice that last time I was there.. then again, it was dark back then so... )
I did a commute from Brussels to Mechelen for a few months, and yeah it was alright but punctuality at rush hour is rarely achieved fair to say.
Every morning in my town there is this train stopping in the station
tbh the stations ticket booths are not open everywhere all day at my town their open from 7am to 1pm
7:32 Simply Railway just visit Prague's main train station and decide what is the most beautiful station in the world.