As a territory of transit at the nexus of Europe, you'd have thought that smoothing travel across the Belgian landmass would be accepted as a practical necessity, with any bumps in the track quickly ironed out in the name of saving money and time.
To most right-thinking folk, the idea of peppering our infrastructure with gratuitous impediments is arch buffoonery, not least in a country that can be traversed by high-speed rail in less than an hour. In other aspects of daily life, Belgium's lasagne of regional competencies already makes basic tasks far more complicated than need be; embedding this overcomplexity in the national transport network is plain bonkers.
Still, it took a study commissioned by Belgium's Mobility Minister to make clear the insanity of splitting Belgian railways between regions. The analysis came after persistent calls from the Flemish nationalist N-VA party to hand management of rail to individual regions – a move that would remind passengers of the differences between Brussels, Flanders, and Wallonia almost every time they board a train.
Putting aside that such a project would be nuts from the outset, the report highlighted how the network cuts across the terrain; a single line might cross the border several times or even stray into neighbouring countries. A trip from Charleroi to Antwerp would require three tickets, before even considering the additional terminals and operating systems such a ploy would entail.
Sensing that enough energy had been expended to entertaining this flight of fancy, the minister dismissed the notion as "Kafkaesque". Then again, the exercise of suspending common sense to make a conclusive point might not be a bad tactic for demonstrating the absurdity of policies one feels are lifted from "bad science fiction".
Better still if we could apply the same logic to the plenty of existing obligations that one suspects were never thought through. But where to start? Let @Orlando_tbt know.
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1. Why are so many people getting trapped in shutters of Brussels Metro stations?
Brussels has seen a rising number of people getting stuck in the roller shutters of Metro station entrances in recent months. Read more.
2. 'Bad science fiction': Splitting Belgian railways would threaten nationwide mobility
Decentralising Belgium's railways for management by individual regions – Flanders, Wallonia, and Brussels – would be a nonsensical decision that would result in passengers having to pay more for poorer service, shows a study commissioned by Federal Mobility Minister Georges Gilkinet (Ecolo). Read more.
3. Leap year: The story behind February's extra day
An extra day has been added to the end of February this year as 2024 is a leap year. But why is there a 29 February? How many people celebrate their birthdays today, and how? And is it possible to get rid of leap years? Read more.
4. Monks of Grimbergen challenge amateur brewers with nationwide contest
Grimbergen Abbey, famous for the beer of the same name, has announced a nationwide contest for home brewers. The competition invites anyone living in Belgium with a home brewing kit to produce a beer for professional judgement. Read more.
5. Brussels Airlines three-day strike: Three flights in ten cancelled
The three-day strike action by some members of Brussels Airlines' cabin crew has entered its second day 0n Thursday, with the impact slightly greater than on Wednesday. The strike now means that only seven out of ten flights will run. Read more.
6. Belgium releases €200 million for ammunition to Ukraine
As part of a European partnership led by Czechia, Belgium is purchasing €200 million worth of artillery ammunition for Ukraine, Prime Minister Alexander De Croo (Open VLD) announced at a press conference on Wednesday. Read more.
7. The heart and soul of the paper-pusher
Bureaucracy can be baffling and overwhelming in the best of times. Read more.
