A new, faster train service between Belgian and Dutch cities launched on Sunday, 15 December. The Eurocity Direct will cut travel time between the two cities by 45 minutes.
Train services between Belgium and the Netherlands will double from Sunday onwards with the introduction of a new international train between Brussels-Midi and Amsterdam-Zuid, located in the south of the Dutch capital. The new, faster train connection will carry its first passengers today.
The train will travel on the high-speed line at a maximum speed of 200 km/ hour, bringing passengers from the Belgian capital to the Dutch capital in about two hours – more than 40 minutes faster than at present (max 160 km/hour). It will only stop at Antwerp-Central, Rotterdam-Central and Schiphol (the Netherlands' biggest airport) along the way.
Departures from Brussels-Midi will be every hour at 49 minutes past the hour. Overall, the service will operate 16 round trips per day.
Two fast services to Amsterdam
This means there are now two services bringing people between the Belgian and Dutch capital in around two hours, but they arrive at two different stations in Amsterdam. With Eurostar, passengers will get off at Amsterdam Centraal, located in the city centre, while EuroCity Direct stops in Amsterdam Zuid.
However, Dutch national railway operator NS stressed that passengers can easily take the tram or metro to Amsterdam city centre from the Zuid station. The fact the train will skip the Brussels-North and Brussels-Central stations, only stopping in Brussels-Midi, was criticised by the travellers' organisation TreinTramBus. It argued that Brussels-North is an important transfer station to the rest of Belgium, and Brussels-Central remains the main destination for tourists and travellers to the city centre.
Ticket sales for the new train service began on Wednesday, 16 October. A ticket for a Eurocity Direct ticket fluctuates between €25 and €64.1.
The slower InterCity service between the two major cities will no longer run from Sunday and will be replaced by EuroCity, with a shortened route between Brussels-Midi and Rotterdam-Central. As before, the stops along the way are Brussels-Central, Brussels-North, Brussels Airport-Zaventem, Mechelen, Antwerp-Berchem, Antwerp-Central, Noorderkempen and Breda.
Those looking to buy a ticket to Rotterdam on the Eurocity will pay between €13.1 and €32.7.
