Belgian travellers are turning more and more to trains for the summer holidays, with NMBS promising 2,000 more destinations by 2030
The number of bookings made on the NMBS International website have increased by 50% since 2019, the Belgian rail service reports. Currently, some 6,000 stops across 14 countries can be booked via the site.
Of those, there are 1,000 that are less than six hours from Brussels requiring a maximum of one transfer. NMBS says it will increase its total number of stops to 8,000 by 2030.
In the summer of 2024, 1.5 million tickets were sold via the service, which includes high-speed trains such as Thalys and Eurostar along with inter-Europe lines like Eurocity Direct. Ticket sales so far this summer suggest a similar number, says NMBS.
Environmentally friendly
Cities in neighbouring countries are the most popular destinations, followed by the neighbours’ neighbours, such as Switzerland, Italy and Austria. As for the most popular trains, those would be the high-speed options to Paris, Amsterdam and Frankfurt.
While the offer of routes has increased over time, this has not been enough to explain the sharp increase in passenger numbers. The NMBS does point to the train being an environmentally friendly alternative to car and plane travel, as well as the ability to easily reach the international terminal at Brussel Zuid.
In addition, passengers can relax in a train as opposed to driving, and can more easily stretch their legs than they can in an airplane.