High-speed trains set to link Antwerp and Brussels Airport with Germany

German rail operator Deutsche Bahn intends to launch a high-speed train service linking Antwerp, Leuven and Brussels Airport with Cologne and Aachen. An application has been submitted to Belgium’s Federal Agency for Transport Regulation.

The new connection is scheduled to run twice daily in both directions from September 2026, according to the application. 

The high-speed ICE trains will stop at Brussels Airport in Zaventem, something the airport operator has long been asking for. The service will also call at Leuven and Liège. 

Trains towards Germany would depart from Antwerp Central at around 11.00 and 19.00, arriving in Cologne around 2.5 hours later. Departures from Germany would leave at around 6.30 and 14.30. 

Between Antwerp and Leuven, trains will run on the regular track, before running on high-speed tracks from Leuven to Germany. 

Eight ICE trains already run daily in both directions between Germany and Belgium. These also stop in Liège but then travel to Brussels Midi. Eurostar high-speed trains also run between Brussels and Cologne.

^{#FlandersNewsService | © PHOTO IMAGEBROKER}

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