Deutsche Bahn Restores High-Speed Rail to Brussels Airport in New Cologne-Antwerp Route

At 8:29 a.m. on Monday, September 7, 2026, a Deutsche Bahn ICE 3neo train pulled into the subterranean station beneath Brussels Airport. The arrival of the 400-passenger train, which had departed Cologne at 6:11 a.m., marked the first time since 2015 that the Belgian aviation hub was directly plugged into Europe's international high-speed rail network.[3][4]

The new service, which continues onward to its terminus at Antwerpen-Centraal, operates two daily round trips. It threads through Aachen, Liège, and Leuven, establishing the first permanent high-speed rail link to Germany for both the university city of Leuven and the port of Antwerp.[2][6]

The physical route serves as the backbone for a broader intermodal strategy. Deutsche Bahn and Brussels Airlines have linked their booking systems, allowing passengers from western Germany to purchase a single ticket that covers both the rail journey to the airport and the onward flight.[3][5]

This codeshare arrangement mirrors the Lufthansa Express Rail model. If a train is delayed and a passenger misses their flight, the airline guarantees rebooking. According to Brussels Airlines, more than 1,000 combined rail-and-air tickets were sold before the first train even departed Cologne, with New York, Accra, and Alicante emerging as the most popular final destinations.[3]

"We're able to welcome more guests on our network, without the need of adding flights," said Nina Öwerdieck, Chief Financial Officer of Brussels Airlines. The approach allows the carrier to expand its catchment area deep into the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia without consuming valuable runway slots or burning aviation fuel on short-haul feeder routes.[3]

For Deutsche Bahn, the expansion capitalizes on a steady shift in regional travel habits. Between 2019 and 2025, passenger volumes on cross-border ICE trains between Germany and Belgium grew by approximately 18 percent.[5]

Michael Peterson, Deutsche Bahn's director of long-distance services, noted that the route connects two highly specialized nodes. "We are connecting two important transport hubs with ICE services: Cologne as a hub for cross-border long-distance transport and Brussels Airport as an international hub for onward travel by plane," Peterson said.[5]

The Belgian national railway operator, SNCB, is a core partner in the operation, providing the drivers for the cross-border connection. SNCB Chief Executive Officer Sophie Dutordoir emphasized that the link makes sustainable travel between cities of economic and cultural importance significantly more attractive.[4]

Local municipalities are also calculating the economic dividends. Antwerp Mayor Els van Doesburg stated that the direct line to the Rhineland will strengthen the city's competitive edge. "It will also strengthen our competitive edge: investors and businesses will now find it easier to make their way to our city," van Doesburg said.[6]

The airport itself views the ICE service as a foundational step. Arnaud Feist, CEO of Brussels Airport, indicated that the facility intends to establish this connection sustainably and hopes it will serve as the starting point for a much larger high-speed rail network converging at the terminal in the coming years.[1][4]