The good old days, when the world was still normal, just as was travelling by train and cross-border... 😥

How nostalgic. I studied at Lille University from '69 to '72. I used to travel on Le Mongy to see my girl-friend. Happy days, long ago [Le Mongy est le nom du tramway qui relie Lille à Roubaix et Tourcoing].

2:56 I usually sit in that little box if I take those trains + bonus: the best engine sound 😍 !

Point de vue d'un conducteur de train : L'AM96 est simplement mon matériel préféré! L'ergonomie du poste de conduite est la meilleure de tout le matériel SNCB (même comparé aux engins plus récents!), le confort du conducteur ne pourrait être amélioré que par l'adjonction d'accoudoirs à son siège (comme dans les Désiros), l'automotrice est puissante en accélération et freine extrêmement bien par tous les temps, et c'est un matériel fiable dont le dépannage est très simple (la conception est très "terre à terre", sans raffinement superflu sujet aux pannes, très "école française", loin des délires technoïdes de Siemens ^^). Seuls reproche (à part le manque d'accoudoir du siège conducteur) : la suspension n'aime pas les mouvements latéraux, et ça tape dur dans les aiguillages limités à 40km/h, même à 30... PS : l'aménagement intérieur est identique à celui des voitures I11, qui sont de la même génération.

I love this train ive been in it my whole life since im belgian

Maybe 1 more thing that was worth to show, 1 of the greatest advantages of the AM96. When leaving the toilet, you pointed the camera to a green door. Depending in which trainset you are, you can just open it and pass to the next trainset. The font of the train is pushed aside, so there's the possibilty to pass. You should certainly come over to Belgium again to try the newest M7 carriages. Really comfy and they have power outlet at the seat, even in 2nd class!

idk why but seeing someone review the train i take almost daily to go to school and such, it just feels weird haha

It was all so lively. I hope people stop being afraid and bring back these days. They weren't perfect, but they were a lot better.

TIP: You forgot to mention that if 2x MS96 are coupled, you can usually walk between them through the cabins. It says NO ENTRANCE, but next time when you are on a coupled MS96 train, try it! You have 99% chance that the doors will be open, and you can walk through to the other train :)

An amazing trip report like alwsys🔥🔥 It's just amazing how open this side of the station is as if it's a bus station. Just enter and there are the tracks.

Pour les prises, c'est aux extrémités des voitures et en hauteur (prévues pour le nettoyage de base) ;) Petite astuce pour la prochaine fois.

Les prises de courant se trouvent en hauteur à chaque extrémité de compartiment.

Exactly my thoughts about this train as your thoughts!!! Great minds think alike !!! Thank you for sharing!!! :):):)

I've been IN THE AM96 LIKE 50 TIMES IN MY LIFE NOW SINCE LIVE IN belgium I go in the train every single day

Did you know that the front facade of the Lille Flandres was originally the front of Paris Gare du Nord? They took it apart and moved it to Lille when Gare du Nord was expanded.

The M96 is an awesome train(I travelled with it 2 days ago). My favourite thing is the beautifal accelaration noise.

these are my favorites 😍 they are just confortable and silent

Wow! The words train set bring back memories of my childhood. I associate the words train set with a model railway. train set noun 1. a set of railway wagons or carriages, often with a locomotive, coupled together for a particular service. 2. BRITISH a set of trains, tracks, and other items making up a child's model railway.

The seats remind me of the New Haven Railroad cars from 1934 built by Osgood Bradley. They are commonly referred to as "American Flyer" cars because the American toy maker A. C. Gilbert made models of these cars.

Génial. Ça m'a plu. J'aimerais en voir plus!

Sorry for the late reaction, loved the vid! Btw, the AM96 does have power outlets. They're located close to the Doors in the seating area.

Those Miami Vice colors tho...🤯

there are 2 power sockets per carriage in the AM96 both in a corner above the seat at each end of the carriage

Very nice stabilisation

Great video !!

In the UK we never have the personal bins, the bins are always in the door area or cafe area

Beautiful travel.

Don't try the AM08 Desiro if you don't want to be let down by SNCB seating... AM96 is great, but the single doors and overcapacity of first-class seats (1/3 of the train) makes it not very practical on busy routes with a lot of stops. Great for quiet rural routes though!

thanks for the train report! I use these trains often. Like these trains than the double deckers when it comes to space for luggage etc. Many train toilets and trash cans are full and diry sometimes. Depends on the civic behaviour of the passengers as well.

Oh and in belgium only FEW trains have automatic announcement. But in Belgium they mostly use Conductor announcement. But the most common train with automatic announcement is our MS08 ( Desiro ). But SOME times they also do condctor announcement, but thats rare if it happens. And when ur on the Desiro, you always know at wich station you are. The automatic announcement says at wich station you are once the door are opened

C'est vrai qu'elles sont bien les AM96 ;)

City in Belgium is beautiful town.

Sympa !

Suggestion: to aid readability of subtitles, ensure sufficient contrast between the color of the text and the background. Also, I'd recommend two rows not three, or have it shown for a greater duration. Thanks for making the video, I enjoyed riding along with you.

I love bombardier! Very nice company

There ares plugs above the four seats place in the train ;)

There ARE power outlets in these carriages: 4 per carriage, 2 at either end (above the seat next to the sliding doors). It's ery little and largely insufficient, granted, but at least you have a chance to use them if the train is not full, as was your case.

Haha so funny, your first international trip will be on my channel soon as well (i filmed it in June of thus year)

Chose assez drôle à savoir la section Lille Tournais est bien opéré par la SNCF avec du matériel belge qui continue plus loin que tournai en changeant de code mission...

From 12th December 2022 the IC trains Mons (BE) - Aulnoye (FR) are canceled and probably the same for IC Namur-Charleroi-Maubeuge. Hurry if you want to travel on board or take a picture of AM 96 in Aulnoye station and in Maubeuge station.

Simply aviation

My fave French gare! I think of trains in Belgium like 10 year old busses. Efficient but often empty.

SNCB looks great, they just need to sort their website out - at least it isn't as bad as SNCF's...

Wished I resided in Europe. Boy I am jealous. Love trains. We really don’t have them in USA. I mean we have Amtrak but that’s so so. And not like Europe.

someone is impressed by belgian trains that will be the first. the next time you should take the train to courtrai. The announcement in courtrai will suddenly be in dutch because it is a flemmish city. the same happens when you travel from bruges to liege. dutch until brussels both languages in brussels dutch until louvin and then only french to liege.

AM96-look a like was also used in Denmark, they used different name (another signification for trains, Code: REG98)

These trains are also used on the line Lille (/Poperinge) - Ghent - Antwerp. I don't like the seats here. They are always full of stains! I prefer the grey seats that you show in other videos.

AM96s are dated when it comes to modern accessibility features (disabled people, bikes !!!, plugs,...) but other than that they remain the best rolling stock the SNCB has in my opinion. Great seating, very silent, good air conditioning, great performance from a driver point of view (albeit with some leaky/windy cockpits) and the convenient coupling that allows one large uninterrupted EMU even with 9 cars. SNCB should have ordered a massive amount of them back in the days, they would have been great to replace M4 cars on a lot of Peak and IC services. They could have replaced all the non-A/C AM75s and 80s. But hey... decades of underfunding :(

'Ok nobody clean the train I guess'

Those trains look good but the fact it was largely empty says something about passenger usage

Le meilleur matériel SNCB , comparés aux désiros qui sont de vraies merdes pour les voyageurs et en fiabilité, a savoir que 1 prise dans chaque 2iéme classe, qui sert a brancher l'aspirateur pour nettoyer le train ^^

le meme confort que les HV I11.

(Sorry late coment, and this is what i THINK) I think Belgium (SNCF , NMBS ) is only making their trains clean at night. Wich means, when passengers do some papers in the trash can, but the train goes another service it wil stay in it cuz Belgium only cleans their trains at night I THINK

I am from belgium and the Dutch name of NSCB (so the actual name) is NMBS Edit: also, I live really close to a Bombardier Fabric :D

Agree, sncf stickers are not classy.

Why is the train so empty?

In Belgium the Toilets are oftrn dirty in the trains

Do not understand, why those dustbins are kept at the side below windows ? Isn't it uncomfortable and unhygienic to person sitting besides it ?

3:24

I like it more if tou say nmbs

Amogus

Il est pas forcément beau

SNCF used to have their national computer center in Lille. High security area... I HATE YOUR TOILET TOURS!

3:13