Belgium's national railway company SNCB (NMBS) has decided it will not oppose the arrival of low-cost operator FlixTrain in Belgium.
This was announced by CEO Sophie Dutordoir, who said that the railway company would not ask the regulator for an economic viability test to assess whether or not the notion of public service was called into question by this arrival.
Germany's FlixTrain intends to launch a railway line between Paris-Nord and Bruxelles-Nord stations via Mons, as part of the opening up of major commercial passenger transport lines to competition, scheduled for the end of 2020.
Who is FlixTrain?
In Germany, FlixTrain operates three lines and carried 1 million passengers in its first year of operation, according to the company. It is a subsidiary of long-distance coach operator Flixbus, supplementing its parents' bus network with rail connections.
The Brussels Times
