5 Euros European Year of Rail

The European Year of Rail was a European Commission initiative intended to promote rail travel as central to the EU's post-pandemic green recovery, declared for 2021 in part to coincide with the centenary of the founding of the International Union of Railways. Belgium, with its dense rail network and the headquarters of Infrabel and SNCB both based in Brussels, was a natural issuer for a commemorative tied to the theme.