National railway operator SNCB is rolling out a new timetable from Sunday (15 December). While this is an annual end-of-year occurrence, a remarkable amount is changing this time.
Every December, SNCB makes improvements and adjustments to the train offer, depending on the availability of infrastructure, equipment and staff. The company also takes into account works on the railway network and train stations. Finally, this timing also coincides with when the international train schedules change.
"With these adjustments, SNCB intends to further strengthen and optimise its train offer to improve our customer satisfaction," the company said. "This translates into the addition of some new train series, but also the modification or abolition of certain routes and numerous adjustments to train departure times."
Bringing back trains, scrapping others
On average, the offer will be increased by almost 2%, from 84.2 million train kilometres travelled to 85.6 million kilometres a year, which is a smaller rise than first planned. SNCB is facing a shortage of train drivers and has therefore postponed several projects.
One major change is the new fast IC connection between Brussels and Amsterdam: the Eurocity Direct. It will cut travel time by 45 minutes between the two cities. From 19 December, as part of this series of changes, three IC trains a day will run between Brussels and Paris, via Mons. This route – a continuation of the service introduced for the Paris Olympic Games – is cheaper, but takes longer.
Another main novelty is the reduction of the number of trains on the main rail axis between Antwerp and Brussels from five to four per hour on weekdays, which garnered heavy criticism. SNCB lost space on the track to international train provider Eurostar. Between the same two cities, one in two IC trains will no longer stop in Mechelen-Nekkerspoel.
On the other hand, SNCB is bringing back 220 trains a week that had previously been scrapped due to staffing problems. These include, for example, a second hourly S train during peak hours between Antwerp and Herentals and some P trains around Ghent, Geraardsbergen and Kortrijk.
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The Brussels suburban network – the S network – will also undergo many changes, making a series of connections difficult. From June 2025, the S81 between Schaarbeek, Brussels-Schuman, Ottignies and Louvain-la-Neuve will run all day instead of only during rush hour.
Meanwhile, the IC trains Ostend - Kortrijk - Brussels Airport-Zaventem will no longer stop in Anderlecht – a temporary situation that will change in June 2025, due to the evolution of the works at Denderleeuw.
A comprehensive overview of the most important changes can be found on the SNCB website.
