ICE service reconnects Brussels Airport to Europe’s high-speed rail network

Updated 7 September 2026 at 13:52 CEST — A Deutsche Bahn ICE from Cologne arrived at Brussels Airport in Zaventem at 08:29 on Monday, 7 September, restoring a direct high-speed service to Belgium’s largest airport for the first time since 2015. Brussels Airport Company said the train continued five minutes later to Antwerpen-Centraal after calling at Aachen, Liège and Leuven.

Deutsche Bahn now operates two return services each day between Cologne and Antwerp with modern ICE 3neo trains. According to the airport operator, Cologne departures reach Brussels Airport at 08:29 and 16:28, while Germany-bound trains call at the airport at 11:29 and 14:29. SNCB provides drivers for the Belgian section of the route, Brussels Airport Company said.

The direct journey between Cologne and Zaventem takes about two hours. SNCB International says the new trains supplement the seven or eight daily ICE services already linking Brussels with Cologne and Frankfurt, rather than replacing them. They also give Leuven and Antwerp direct high-speed connections to Germany without requiring passengers to change at Brussels-Midi.

For air passengers, the more significant change is behind the ticket. Brussels Airlines and Deutsche Bahn have introduced a codeshare allowing eligible journeys from western Germany to be booked with a Brussels Airlines flight under one reservation. The airline and airport say the arrangement includes a reserved train seat, Miles & More credit and protection for the onward connection when delays disrupt the itinerary.

Brussels Airport Company reported that more than 1,000 combined tickets had been sold since the partnership was announced in February. It identified New York, Accra and Alicante as the most popular onward destinations booked through the product. Those figures come from the companies involved and have not been independently audited.

The service also revives an ambition that previously proved difficult to sustain. The airport operator dates its last direct international high-speed connection to 2015. This time, the Cologne route serves both ordinary rail passengers and Brussels Airlines customers, linking Antwerp, the airport, Leuven, Liège and Aachen on the same train.

The immediate test is whether two daily departures provide enough flexibility for flight connections and regular cross-border travel. Deutsche Bahn says passenger numbers on its Belgium–Germany ICE services rose by about 18% between 2019 and 2025. Brussels Airlines has expressed interest in further rail links, but neither the airline nor the airport has announced another route or expansion timetable.