September 2026: Brussels Airport high-speed train connection, Cologne

A Brussels Airport high-speed train connection will link the airport with Cologne from September 2026, as part of a joint push to boost travel times between the two hubs, as reported by The Brussels Times.

Brussels Airport high-speed train connection route and stops

Germany’s national rail operator Deutsche Bahn will add Brussels Airport to its list of high-speed train stops from September 2026. The Brussels Airport–Cologne train will run from Cologne and call at Aachen, Liège and Leuven before reaching Brussels Airport, with the journey expected to take about two hours. In addition, the service will continue to Antwerp. It will then return along the same route.

Don’t miss…Indian Railways infrastructure projects: depots, doubling, bypass

The connection is “an important step for Belgium’s international connectivity,” said Arnaud Feist, the CEO of Brussels Airport, pointing to intermodality. “We are strongly committed to developing a robust, future-oriented network that strengthens our role as a major intermodal hub,” he added.

Brussels Airlines and Deutsche Bahn codeshare agreement

The launch also includes a codeshare agreement between Brussels Airlines and Deutsche Bahn. Under this arrangement, passengers will be able to purchase tickets for the train journey through Brussels Airlines, with the train carrying the same number as the passenger’s flight. In practice, travellers will make their rail-and-air trip with a single booking and can expect smooth connections at Brussels Airport, as outlined in a Brussels Airlines press release.

Separately, the agreement provides a guaranteed connection in case of delays. Also, passengers can earn miles through the Miles and More programme.

“We are very happy to announce the first international high-speed rail connection to Brussels Airport,” said Dorothea von Boxberg, CEO of Brussels Airlines, in a press release. “We are working on more connections to come.”

Meanwhile, Deutsche Bahn says the new rail-and-air link follows an increasing number of passengers choosing climate-friendly ways to get to their flights. “Connecting rail and air travel is very much in trend,” said Michael Peterson of Deutsche Bahn’s Management Board for Long Distance Passenger Transport. “We are once again meeting the high demand from our passengers for international rail travel, and at the same time, we are expanding our intermodal offering through our cooperation with Brussels Airlines,” he said.

Current international train connections to Brussels Airport

At present, other direct international trains to Brussels Airport run from the Dutch cities of Breda (1h08 journey) and Rotterdam (1h39 journey). Travel from Amsterdam, Paris, Lille or London is possible, but it requires a transfer in Antwerp, Ghent or Brussels.

From Brussels, six direct trains run to Brussels Airport in both directions every hour, from early morning until around midnight. Two trains per hour also serve Brussels’ European Quarter.

Still, there is no train connection available for Brussels-South Charleroi Airport (BSCA), commonly referred to as Charleroi Airport, as previously covered by Railway Supply.

News on railway transport, industry, and railway technologies from Railway Supply that you might have missed: