Possible expansion of conventional rail services between Brussels and Paris
On Monday, Belgian rail operator SNCB announced that the company is considering expanding its joint conventional train service with France’s SNCF between Brussels and Paris.
The Brussels–Paris route, which was launched under the Ouigo label in mid-December last year, uses classic trains rather than high-speed services such as Eurostar or TGV Inoui. Currently, there are three return services per day between Brussels-South and Paris-Nord, stopping in Mons, Aulnoye-Aymeries, Saint-Quentin (on one service) and Creil.
After its first year, SNCB described the service as “a major success”, having carried more than one million passengers. Trains were particularly busy during holidays, long weekends and school breaks, with families strongly represented, accounting for one in ten tickets sold.
SNCB and SNCF are now examining whether to add more daily services, although the number of additional trains and a possible start date have yet to be decided, according to SNCB spokesperson Dimitri Temmerman.
SNCB has also reported strong demand for the EuroCity and EuroCity Direct, which replaced the former Benelux train last year. Together, these services carried 3.5 million passengers in their first year in cooperation with Nederlandse Spoorwegen, representing a 40 per cent increase compared with the previous Benelux service.
© STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN / AFP
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