A new high-speed train connection will link Brussels Airport to the German city of Cologne from September, as part of a joint aim to boost travel times between the two hubs.
Germany's national railway operator Deutsche Bahn is adding Brussels Airport to its network of high-speed train stops as of September 2026. From Cologne, the train will stop in Aachen, Liège, Leuven and Brussels Airport – which will take about two hours. Afterwards, it will continue to Antwerp, and make the same way back.
The connection is "an important step for Belgium's international connectivity," said Arnaud Feist, the CEO of Brussels Airport, stressing the importance of intermodality.
"We are strongly committed to developing a robust, future-oriented network that strengthens our role as a major intermodal hub," he added.
First international high-speed connection
Through a codeshare agreement with Belgian air carrier Brussels Airlines and Deutsche Bahn, tickets for the train journey will also be available via Brussels Airlines and have the same number as their flight, so passengers can expect smooth connections at Brussels Airport.
In practice, this means that passengers will need just one booking for their entire train and plane journey. They will also have a guaranteed connection in case of delays, and will be able to accumulate miles via the Miles and More programme.
"We are very happy to announce the first international high-speed rail connection to Brussels Airport," said Dorothea von Boxberg, CEO of Brussels Airlines, in a press release. "We are working on more connections to come."
For Deutsche Bahn, the new train connection is in line with an increasing number of passengers choosing climate-friendly ways to get to their flights. "Connecting rail and air travel is very much in trend," said Michael Peterson of Deutsche Bahn's Management Board for Long Distance Passenger Transport.
The route of the new high-speed rail connection.
"We are once again meeting the high demand from our passengers for international rail travel, and at the same time, we are expanding our intermodal offering through our cooperation with Brussels Airlines," he said.
Currently, other direct international trains to Brussels Airport come from the Dutch cities of Breda (1h08 journey) and Rotterdam (1h39 journey). There are also trains from Amsterdam, Paris, Lille or London, but those are only possible with a transfer in Antwerp, Ghent or Brussels.
From Brussels, six direct trains run to Brussels Airport (and back) every hour, from early morning until around midnight. Two trains per hour also serve Brussels' European Quarter.
There is no connection available for those wanting to reach Brussels-South Charleroi Airport (BSCA) – usually referred to as Charleroi Airport –by train.
