100 years of NMBS (1926 – 2026) coincides with a 5-day rail strike

On January 26, 2026, bpost will release new stamps in honor of the hundredth anniversary of NMBS. With the stamps – which feature five iconic trains – both companies also highlight their past and present collaboration. Unfortunately, there are strikes on the railways again this entire week. The strike began on Sunday, January 25, at 22:00 PM and continues until Friday evening – making it the 32nd day of striking since January of last year. So, the NMBS is striking simultaneously with the latest '100 Years of NMBS' edition. Is this a marketing stunt, or are travelers simply being affected by the strike? Do you often travel with the NMBS to work, visit family and friends, or for outings?

5-day NMBS rail strike (January 26 to 30, 2026)

Railway strikes are taking place all week (yet again). The strike began on Sunday, January 25 at 22 p.m. and continues until Friday evening, January 30 – which will be the 32nd day of striking since January of last year. Why is railway staff striking this time? And how much disruption will there be? Three questions and answers. You are certainly affected by the strike, as a different section of the staff is striking every day. Read all about it in this link: https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2026/01/25/nmbs-spoorstaking/

 

100 years of NMBS (1926 – 2026)

Both bpost and NMBS have had an impact on the daily lives of all Belgians for generations. Moreover, 2026 is a special year for the railways, as NMBS was founded on July 23, 1926. To highlight the railway company's centenary, bpost is launching a stamp sheet on Monday in collaboration with NMBS featuring five iconic trains that have shaped the history of the Belgian railways. The first print run of the stamps was symbolically started by two train conductors at the bpost stamp printing plant in Mechelen. Watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-ltq5E-jEM  

Five legendary trains

The stamp issue takes us through five train types, each illustrating a snapshot of the times and technological evolution, from left to right:

• Type 12 (1939): the streamlined steam locomotive that reached 140 km/h and today, as number 12.004, forms the showpiece of Train World in Schaerbeek.
• Series 54 (1957): a diesel locomotive from the glory days of the Trans Europ Express. It ran via Brussels towards Cologne, Paris, and Amsterdam, among other destinations.
• Autonomous Postal Train (APT, 1968): a mobile post office with twelve teams of postmen on board. This type remained operational until 2003, after which it was retired.
• MS/AM Break (1981-1985): electric trainsets with the distinctive high step, once burgundy, now reworked in 'New Look' style.
• M7 (since 2018): the latest generation of double-decker carriages, already prominently present in the Brussels North-South connection. Awarded a Henry van de Velde Award for design in 2019.

[One_half] [/ One_half] [one_half_last]             The Torhout stamp was issued during the pre-sale in Torhout. A collaboration between bpost and the stamp club KVBP Torhout. Read more via this link: https://www.pzc.nl/brugge/ontdek-100-jaar-nmbs-en-elvis-pompilio-op-unieke-verzamelbeurs-in-torhout~ae46b248/   From mail train to b-boxes in stations The stamp issue beautifully continues the close bond between bpost and NMBS. A bond to which one of the depicted trains also explicitly refers, as one of the stamps shows an autonomous mail train (APT) from 1967. This train served as a mail sorting center on wheels: hundreds of postmen could sort mail on board while the train traveled back and forth five times a day between the country's various sorting centers. This continued until 2003, when the mail train was retired. Today, the collaboration between bpost and NMBS is taking on a more modern form. For instance, last year bpost expanded the number of bboxes in train stations to 270. As a result, travelers can now visit half of the train stations in our country to pick up, send, or return parcels 24/7 at bpost machines. Source: bpost Press Release  

History of NMBS

In 1926 The National Railway Company of Belgium (NMBS) was established. It took over the railway lines and activities of the state railways. At that time, the railways were organized within the Ministry of Railways, Telegraphs and Post, under the direct authority of the Minister of Railways. From the end of the 19th century, the Administration of the State Railways had begun the acquisition of the many private railway companies and networks. Incidentally, several private railways would continue to exist alongside the NMBS until 1958.

The State Railways were characterized by political interference and a cumbersome structure, and had experienced several major corruption scandals (which led the State to establish the High Committee of Supervision, the later anti-corruption service). Moreover, it appeared that a large part of the state budget went to the railways, without clear oversight of its expenditure and revenue. The establishment of the NMBS must be seen in that context: a separate legal entity (a limited liability company), with its own capital and financing, would be able to manage the railways much more efficiently. In other European countries, too, the railways were placed in government-established companies for the same reasons. Moreover, the structure and establishment of the NMBS were similar to those of the Deutsche Reichsbahn Gesellschaft (DRG). In Belgian Congo, too, the (comparable) combination of private initiative and government control had worked well.

The government retained control over the operations of the NMBS through a system of preferred shares. The State retained the ordinary shares (with multiple voting rights, thereby maintaining control over the NMBS). Investors could purchase the preferred shares, and thus subscribe to a portion of the capital. After the Second World War, the State bought back most of the shares.

(From left to right: Locomotive type 12, Two-car motor unit, series 06 type 70th, Three-car motor unit, type 03.) The NMBS faced significant difficulties during the economic crisis of the 1930s due to a decline in freight and passenger traffic. Nevertheless, it managed to successfully complete several notable initiatives: the completion of the express line between Brussels and Ghent, the electrification of the line between Brussels and Antwerp, and the introduction of express trains between Brussels and Ostend with a journey time of one hour. By the end of the 1930s, the company was making a profit. The National Railway Company of Belgium (NMBS), in the French National Railway Company of Belgium (SNCB), is a limited liability company that operates train services in Belgium on behalf of the Belgian State. The total Belgian railway network comprises 3500 kilometers (of which 2998 km are electrified). The logo, a capital B in a horizontal ellipse, came about after a competition in 1934. A designer in the NMBS drawing department named Jean de Roy proposed a B surrounded by two concentric circles. Architect Henry Van de Velde, artistic advisor to the NMBS and chairman of the competition jury, replaced the circles with an oval.  

Confusion?

The history of the Belgian railways begins with the definitive political decision in 1834 that ensured a train ran on Belgian territory for the first time in 1835 – as well as on the European mainland for the first time. The construction of railways was a political and economic risk at the time, but it grew into one of the greatest success stories in Belgian industrial history. Today, Belgium possesses a railway network of 3500 kilometers, which is among the densest in the world.

In 2010, the 175th anniversary of the Belgian Railways was celebrated. Perhaps the story of the Belgian Railways will follow later, but this year marks 100 years of NMBS.  

<strong> More info: </strong>

NMBS: https://www.belgiantrain.be/nl Trainworld: https://trainworld.be/