Belgium’s state-owned rail company NMBS introduced a new timetable at the weekend. It happens every year in December but in order to meet its long-term objectives NMBS is making big changes this year. The company speaks of an increase in ‘train supply’ of around 2%, but also adds that the timetable has to be ‘adjusted’ here and there. What are the changes?
So much is changing. It is simply not possible to list everything. A comprehensive overview of the main changes can be found on the NMBS website . Some notable changes include:
The introduction of a new fast Inter City (IC) connection between Brussels and Amsterdam: the Eurocity Direct.
There are 3 IC trains a day between Brussels and Paris, via Mons. The pilot project during the Olympic Games in Paris is getting a permanent follow-up!
The number of IC services between Antwerp and Brussels will be reduced from 5 to 4 per hour.
1 in 2 IC trains between Antwerp and Brussels will no longer stop at Mechelen-Nekkerspoel.
On weekdays, there are no longer any direct trains between Sint-Niklaas and Brussels.
The direct IC trains Blankenberge-Genk do not go beyond Hasselt during the week. The timetable has also been modified, which means that passengers bound for Roeselare or Kortrijk, for example, have to wait longer in Bruges for their connection.
The so-called Dampoort Express, a commuter service between Ghent and Brussels, will return to its original timetable.
In the Brussels suburban network, the S network, there are a lot of changes, making a series of connections harder to catch.
The expansion of rail offering is a consequence of the 2023-2026 transport plan, which stipulates that the number of kilometres travelled must increase by 7.4 per cent. By 2032, that should be even more. More changes needed to be made to achieve the target of a 10 per cent growth in passengers by 2032.