Fewer trains will be running to Belgium's biggest airport next month. Find out which passengers will be the most affected and what travel advice has been given.
Belgian rail network manager Infrabel will soon start work in the southern part of the tunnel at the Brussels Airport railway station in Zaventem. These works will be carried out from 1 to 21 February and during the weekend of 1 and 2 March. They are necessary to ensure the safety and smooth flow of train traffic, Infrabel added.
"Due to these works, the station is only accessible via the north side of the tunnel and therefore fewer trains will stop at Brussels Airport-Zaventem," national railway operator SNCB noted. "These works also affect train traffic between Brussels, Zaventem and Leuven."
People departing from or arriving at Brussels Airport should allow extra travel time.
Expected disruption
Disruption to travellers varies, SNCB noted. For example, direct trains are still running to and from Antwerp, Bruges, Brussels, Ghent and the European Quarter (Brussels-Luxembourg). However, there will be fewer services between these cities and the airport than normal.
The IC trains between the airport and Namur (stopping in Dinant), between Knokke and Liège-Guillemins, as well as the EuroCity Brussels-Midi to and from Rotterdam will not be stopping at the airport railway station.
The Brussels Airport-Zaventem - Namur - Dinant trains will only run between Brussels-Luxembourg and Dinant. The IC trains between Knokke and Liège-Guillemins will stop in Zaventem instead of Brussels Airport-Zaventem.
Walkway from Brussels Airport train station to the departure hall. Credit: Belga/ Jonas Roosens
There will also no longer be a direct connection between the airport and the stations between Leuven and Landen/Hasselt/Tongeren, while the IC trains Tournai - Brussels - Brussels Airport-Zaventem will not stop in Diegem and Zaventem. The S19 trains Landen - Brussels - Nivelles will only run between Brussels Airport-Zaventem and Nivelles on the one hand and between Leuven and Landen on the other.
Many of these disruptions will also affect passengers during the first three weekends of February and 1 to 2 March.
People affected by these disruptions are advised to travel via stations on routes that still stop at the airport. They can also take bus R26 or 82 of De Lijn between Zaventem's village railway station and the airport with their train ticket. Travel time between these two stations is about six minutes.
SNCB is increasing the number of trains to and from Zaventem (the village) station and increasing the number of De Lijn buses between Zaventem and the airport for the duration of the works. There will be between six and ten buses per hour on weekdays, three on Saturdays and two on Sundays.
Adjusted travel times
Finally, the departure times of several trains will be adjusted during the week, including between Antwerp-Central and Hasselt/Tongres, Tournai - Brussels - Brussels Airport-Zaventem, Gent-Sint-Pieters - Denderleeuw - Brussels Airport-Zaventem, Oostende - Courtrai - Brussels Airport-Zaventem and between Brussels Airport-Zaventem and Charleroi Central.
At the weekends, the departure times of the Antwerp-Central - Hasselt/Tongres, Tournai - Brussels - Brussels Airport-Zaventem, Ostend - Courtrai - Brussels Airport-Zaventem and Landen - Brussels - Nivelles trains will be adjusted.
Passengers are advised to plan their journey on the SNCB website or the SNCB app. More works are scheduled for late 2025 and 2026, but the impact of these subsequent phases is not yet known.
