A new high-speed train connection is now linking Brussels Airport to the German city of Cologne – directly connecting the airport to the international high-speed rail network for the first time in over a decade. And more might follow.
At the start of the week, the first ICE high-speed train (HST) from Cologne arrived at Brussels Airport station. The airport's management had long been advocating for high-speed trains that stop at its train station.
"We hope this marks the beginning of even more high-speed train connections in the future," said Arnaud Feist, CEO of Brussels Airport, stressing that the train has always held a special place at the airport.
Following the Brussels World Fair in 1958, Brussels Airport became the first airport in the world to have its own train station. Now, on weekdays, 330 trains stop at the airport station each day – providing direct rail links to 80 stations.
However, high-speed trains had not stopped there for over ten years.
Intermodal hub
"The arrival of this high-speed train is an important step in the further development of Brussels Airport as an intermodal hub," Feist added. "Our ambition is to sustainably establish this connection, and we hope it will be the starting point for even more high-speed train links in the future."
Leaving 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.
Every day, there are two return services between Cologne and Antwerp. The trains from Cologne arrive at the airport at 8:29 and 16:28. In the other direction, the trains from Antwerp to Cologne call at Brussels Airport at 11:29 and 14:29.
Deutsche Bahn’s ICE high-speed trains operate in cooperation with the Belgian national railway operator SNCB-NMBS, which provides the drivers for this connection.
Credit: Brussels Airlines/Deutsche Bahn
"Thanks to this new ICE connection, Antwerp, Brussels Airport, Leuven and Liège will all have a direct high-speed train service to Germany," said Sophie Dutordoir, CEO of SNCB.
This, she said, will make sustainable travel between cities of economic, cultural and tourist importance even more attractive.
Belgium's Mobility Minister Jean-Luc Crucke (Les Engagés) also called the new ICE connection "excellent news" for passengers, for the country's economy and for more sustainable mobility.
"It strengthens Belgium's international connectivity and, for the first time, enables a direct link between Brussels Airport and the ICE network," he said. "This connection should be a first step: our ambition is to develop even more international high-speed rail connections and to better link our country to major European destinations."
Additionally, simplifying the travel experience and ticket sales was "essential", he stressed. "The simpler and smoother travelling by train across Europe becomes, the more attractive the train will be to passengers."
More options to come
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.
Since the partnership was announced in February, more than 1,000 tickets have already been sold, allowing travellers to complete part of their journey by train with a single ticket that combines rail and air travel.
The most popular destinations for this intermodal product are New York (United States), Accra (Ghana) and Alicante (Spain).
"We hope this is the start of a larger high-speed train network at Brussels Airport in the future, with hopefully more seamless intermodal travel options to come," said Nina Öwerdieck, Chief Financial Officer of Brussels Airlines.
Credit: SNCB-NMBS
Deutsche Bahn is deploying its latest ICE neo trains on this new route, which can carry over 400 passengers and reach speeds of up to 300 kilometres per hour.
"With this connection, we are linking two key transport hubs to the ICE network," said Michael Peterson, Deutsche Bahn's Director of Long-Distance Services. "Cologne as a hub for cross-border long-distance travel and Brussels Airport as an international hub for onward air travel."
The route between Cologne and Antwerp is the second ICE route between Belgium and Germany, alongside the one between Frankfurt and Brussels.
With this new service, there will now be ten ICE trains a day running in both directions between Belgium and Germany. Deutsche Bahn and SNCB-NMBS said that they are responding to the sharp rise in demand for rail travel between Germany and Belgium.
Between 2019 and 2025, the number of passengers on cross-border ICE services between the two countries rose by around 18%.
In Belgium, travelling by (international) train is also growing in popularity. During the recent summer holidays, the number of bookings made via SNCB International rose by 8.8% compared with the same period last year. Germany is one of the most popular destinations for Belgian rail travellers.
