According to reports in the Polish media, PKP Intercity is preparing to bring back its popular Adriatic Express this summer, expanding the offer compared with its debut season last year. The international service, which links Poland with Croatia’s Adriatic coast, will once again run to Rijeka, but with more frequent departures and additional onward connections.
In 2025, the Adriatic Express operated on selected days during the holiday period and quickly proved popular with passengers keen on a direct rail link to the Adriatic. The service is largely based on PKP Intercity’s established route to Wien, where through wagons are detached and forwarded south towards Croatia. Following the success of that first season, the Polish operator has confirmed a broader operation for this year.
During the 2026 summer holidays, the Adriatic Express will run up to six times a week, compared with four departures per week last year. In Ljubljana, the train will be divided, with separate groups of coaches continuing to Rijeka in Croatia and to Koper in Slovenia. In addition, passengers will be able to purchase a combined ticket including a connecting bus from Ljubljana to Trieste in Italy, widening the range of Adriatic destinations available by public transport.
As before, the Polish restaurant car will operate only as far as Wien. Services will run during the Polish school holidays, from late June until the end of August. PKP Intercity says timetable planning is ongoing, with infrastructure modernisation works in Slovenia remaining the main constraint on journey times. Ticket prices are expected to remain in line with last year, with the operator confident of strong demand once again.
Belgium’s Railway Century Marked by New SNCB Commemorative Stamps
On Monday January 26, bpost issued a new set of postage stamps marking the centenary of SNCB, Belgium’s national railway company. The commemorative sheet features five iconic trains, each representing a different chapter in Belgian railway history while also highlighting the long-standing collaboration between the postal service and the railways.
Both bpost and SNCB are deeply woven into everyday life in Belgium, and 2026 is a particularly symbolic year for the rail operator. SNCB was founded on July 23, 1926, and the anniversary provides an opportunity to reflect on a century of rail transport shaping the country’s mobility and connectivity. To mark the occasion, bpost worked closely with SNCB to select trains that illustrate technological progress, changing travel habits and shared heritage.
The first print run of the stamps was symbolically launched at the bpost stamp printing house in Mechelen by two SNCB train conductors, Melissa and Miguel, underlining the human side of the railway story as much as its machines.
One stamp in the series is especially significant for the history of cooperation between the two organisations. It depicts the autonomous mail train (APT) introduced in 1967, which functioned as a rolling postal sorting office. Hundreds of postal workers sorted letters and parcels on board while the train travelled across Belgium, making up to five round trips a day between major sorting centres. This unique operation continued until 2003, when the mail trains were finally withdrawn.
While postal trains are now part of history, the partnership continues in more modern forms. In recent years, bpost has installed 270 bboxes in stations across the country, allowing travellers to send, collect or return parcels around the clock in roughly half of Belgium’s stations.
New Malpensa–Gallarate Rail Link Opens, Cutting Airport Journey Times
A major new rail link connecting Milano Malpensa Airport with Gallarate has entered service, completing a long-planned section of railway designed to transform access to one of Italy’s busiest airports. From Friday January 23, all Malpensa Express services running to and from Milano Centrale now serve both Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 before continuing to Gallarate on the Simplon line.
The newly opened section, promoted and delivered by FERROVIENORD on behalf of the FNM Group, represents an investment of around €264 million. It creates a 4.6 km double-track connection between Terminal 2 and the existing main line, reducing journey times dramatically. From Gallarate, Terminal 2 can now be reached in just eight minutes and Terminal 1 in 15 minutes, compared with around half an hour previously.
The inauguration on January 22 included a test run from Malpensa Terminal 2 to Gallarate and was attended by representatives from the Lombardy Region, FNM, FERROVIENORD, Trenord and SEA, alongside European and national transport officials. The project forms part of the wider Malpensa “Global Project”, linking Terminal 1, Terminal 2 and the Simplon corridor, with the inter-terminal rail connection already in use since 2016.
Beyond faster journeys, the new infrastructure closes the long-awaited rail ring around Malpensa and strengthens connections towards Milano, Piedmont and Switzerland. Regional authorities say it will help shift more airport traffic from road to rail, improving sustainability while positioning Malpensa as a genuine interchange hub for regional, high-speed and cross-border services. With enhanced Malpensa Express frequencies and new rolling stock already in service, the link is also seen as a key piece of transport infrastructure ahead of the Milan–Cortina Winter Olympics.
