The new rail connection planned between Brussels and Amsterdam is setting alarm bells ringing at passengers' organisation TrainTramBus. According to TrainTramBus, the 16 extra trains per day will have a major impact on the rest of Belgium’s domestic services. "To fit these trains into the timetable, impact will be felt as far away as West Flanders and Limburg."
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"Fast to Amsterdam to hit domestic services from West Flanders to Limburg"
Colin Clapson
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Belgian Rail's new transport timetable will come into force in December. What exactly will change remains to be seen but plans definitely include a new train service between Brussels and Amsterdam. Dutch Railways (NS) have already agreed with the Belgian state-owned rail company NMBS to introduce the service.
The 16 extra trains will come on top of the current services and should double the number of services between Belgium and the Netherlands. The route of the existing Benelux train, which now runs between Brussels and Amsterdam, will be shortened and limited to Rotterdam-Central.
Thanks to the new trains, it will be possible to arrive in Amsterdam 45 minutes earlier than now. The 'IC Fast' will reach speeds of around 200 kilometres per hour and will be able to take you from Brussels to Amsterdam in just 2 hours. Boarding must occur at the Brussels-South (Zuid/Midi) station. The train will not stop at Brussels-Central or Brussels-North. The train will still stop in Antwerp, though.
"Fast to Amsterdam leaves domestic traveller in the cold"
More and faster trains to Amsterdam. That seems like good news. But passenger organisation TreinTramBus has already looked at the figures and is now sounding the alarm. According to TrainTramBus, this new connection will come at the expense of domestic travellers. "The impact will be huge," says Peter Meukens of TreinTramBus.
"It is proving difficult for Belgian Rail to fit that extra connection into its timetable, because there is a capacity problem in Brussels". Other services will have to shift affecting passengers elsewhere in Flanders. "Trains on both sides of Flanders will leave at a different time. Connections will be lost; people will have to change trains and they will have to travel longer. To get these new trains to the Netherlands through the Brussels North-South Link consequences will be felt as far away as West Flanders and Limburg."
The 'new IC Fast' is an international train that is does not form part of Belgian Rail’s public service remit. You won’t be able to travel with a regular Belgian Rail ticket or season ticket. In the Netherlands, the service does fall under the public service remit, but Belgian commuters won’t be able to use it here.
At Belgian Rail, they point to "sufficient alternatives" for commuters on the Antwerp-Brussels line.