Belgium’s national railway company, SNCB-NMBS, is marking its 100th anniversary on Thursday with special gifts for passengers and staff, as well as a wider programme of events planned over the coming months.
Celebrations for the centenary have been under way since the start of the year.
SNCB has already launched a passenger thank-you campaign, issued a special series of stamps, created music playlists and a travelling model display, and organised an art competition for students.
To mark the exact date of its founding, the company is handing out small gifts to travellers and employees on several trains and at five stations across the country. It is also running a 24-hour online competition offering an exclusive T-shirt designed for the centenary.
Liege-Guillemins railway station, in Liege, Thursday 06 October 2022. Credit: Belga / Eric Lalmand
Further events are scheduled later this year. A travelling exhibition featuring a 300-metre-long train made up of historic and iconic railway equipment from different eras will stop at Schaerbeek station on 29 and 30 August, Liège-Guillemins on 12 and 13 September, and Antwerp Central on 10 and 11 October.
Another exhibition, entitled Fashion & trains, from 1835 to today, will open at Train World on 18 September. The SNCB museum will also host a model train exhibition over the weekend of 29 and 30 August.
The celebrations will also include exclusive DJ sets near several Belgian stations: at Liège-Guillemins on 4 September, at Antwerp Central on 12 November, and simultaneously at Brussels Central and Brussels North on 20 November.
Want to read more about Belgian trains? Check out the latest edition of The Brussels Times Magazine.
