Is there any plan to expand the rail link at BRU airport

[sn-remember]

Anybody knows what are the plans concerning the possible extension of the rail link at BRU's airport and connection to the high speed train network ?
The latter is only a few kms distant from the airport and could very conveniently link the airport to places like Paris, Lille, Koln, Amsterdam, Rotterdam.
I think it could be a great help to the airpot's development in the coming months.

[Jense]

Well they are currently linking BRU Airport direct to Leuven (and further on to Liège) with plans for high speed trains (not sure of high speed trains).

Message to mr. NMBS: please reduce your prices, especially for young people, then traffic will increase, also to the airpot...

greettzzz

[airbuske]

The only project is " Het Diabolo plan"

Sorry only available in French en Dutch

Aéroport de Bruxelles-National et Diabolo
Quoi?
• Aménagement d’une courbe de raccordement de l'aéroport vers Louvain.
• Construction d’une nouvelle ligne entre Schaerbeek et Malines aménagée sur l'espace situé entre les bandes de circulation de l’autoroute E19. La ligne bifurque ensuite en souterrain vers l'aéroport.
• Agrandissement de la gare de Bruxelles-National-Aéroport avec 4 quais supplémentaires.
Pourquoi?
Liaison plus rapide avec l'aéroport au départ de Bruxelles: Bruxelles-Schuman - aéroport: 13 min. au lieu de 31 min. actuellement.
Quand? 2006 à 2010 (au lieu de 2014) avec préfinancement.

Luchthaven Brussel-Nationaal – Diabolo-project
Wat?
• Bijkomende spoorboog naar de luchthaven kant Leuven
• Nieuwe spoorlijn tussen Schaarbeek en Mechelen (in de middenberm van de E19), met ondergrondse spoorvertakking naar de luchthaven
• Uitbreiding van het station Brussel-Nationaal-Luchthaven met 4 bijkomende perronsporen
Waarom?
Snellere verbinding met de luchthaven vanuit Brussel: Brussel-Schuman - luchthaven: 13 minuten in plaats van 31 minuten nu
Wanneer? Van 2006 tot 2010 (in plaats van tot 2014), met prefinanciering

But realisation starts in 2006 until 2010 so long way to go!!

Also the GEN project is important for the connection between Brussels an the airport!


Also express train would be a very good thing!
If a have to be at the airport at 6.00.
I have to take the train in Ghent at 4.33 which arrives at the airport 5.56 ( ONLY possible on working days). So I takes 1h23 to get at the airport.
Not fast isn't it?

Greetings,

Airbuske

[/b]

[sn26567]

The link to Leuven and Liège is under construction. For as far as I can see it could well be opened before the end of the year.

[DC7-C]

I'm an occasional BRU user and I think that Airport City Express needs some refurbishing as well

[SAB021]

This is how the Diabolo project will look like:


(source: NMBS - SNCB)

(Yellow = existing train lines, Red = new train lines, Green = highways)

The complete project should be ready in 2010, but the link to Leuven (the "Spoorboog Nossegem") will be finished earlier (somewhere in 2006 I think).

When the diabolo is complete, the Thalys high speed trains between Paris, Brussels, Köln and Amsterdam will make an additional stop at Brussels Airport.


Greetz,

Johan
SAB021

[AFApresident]

I'm an occasional BRU user and I think that Airport City Express needs some refurbishing as well

I took the train gent-brussel noord and then brussel noord - brussels airport this morning (January 8th), and both trains were the modern ones. (don´t ask me to name the type of train used though ).

Then I did Brussels - Amsterdam - Geneva on KLM Cityhopper respectively Fokker 70 and Fokker 100, it sure was windy in Brussels and Amsterdam today 8) .

[airbuske]

I took the train gent-brussel noord and then brussel noord - brussels airport this morning (January 8th), and both trains were the modern ones. (don´t ask me to name the type of train used though ).

Do you mean this one "I 11-rijtuig"
of this one "Motorrijtuig MR 96"


Greetings,

Airbuske

[AFApresident]

It was 'motorrijtuig MR96' which took us from Brussel Noord to the airport only 3 passenger cars though.

[sn-remember]

When the diabolo is complete, the Thalys high speed trains between Paris, Brussels, Köln and Amsterdam will make an additional stop at Brussels Airport.

Great ! The sooner the better
Thank you for the replies

[diminbru]

When the diabolo is complete, the Thalys high speed trains between Paris, Brussels, Köln and Amsterdam will make an additional stop at Brussels Airport.

Great ! The sooner the better
Thank you for the replies

is this sure? Will there be a stop for HST?

[jan_olieslagers]

AFAIK nothing is decided concerning the services that will run on the Diabolo rails. The first user will certainly be our "flag train operator" NMBS/SNCB, who are supposed to improve train travel between the airport and the city of Antwerp and its nothern and eastern hinterland. Some have speculated the new rails could also serve to relieve some of the pressure on the existing lines 25/27 Antwerpen-Mechelen/Vilvoorde/Brussels; to which others have answered that these line are more congested on Mechelen's North side than to its South.
Others again have hoped for through trains Antwerpen-Mechelen-airport-Leuven-Liege.

It could certainly be expected of Fyra to serve Brussels airport from the Netherlands; but we will have to wait and see. And Brussels Airlines have already tried running their own HST from the airport to Paris, to little success apparently; and I can't see it working better once the Diabolo rails are in use.

If the matter really interests you, you could do worse than take a look at www.hgbtf.net ; they used to have a long-running thread about the Diabolo project but I can't find it there at 1-2-3. FYI the new line, branching off South of Mechelen then following the E19 motorway towards the airport, which it finally reaches by a tunnel under runway 25R/07L, is called "lijn 25N"

[jan_olieslagers]

PS an airport stop for trains from the East (line 36) is most unlikely: this would require reversing the train (to continue towards Brussels), and that takes a good deal of time, some 15 or 20 minutes at least as ISTR, thus voiding the main advantage of the HST.

Such a stop could be done ( and I think it IS being done right now) for local trains between Leuven and Brussels; such trains aren't quick anyway. But for a HST it would not pay off. Best plan would then be a high-speed train (Cologne?)-Liege-Leuven-Airport-Antwerp-(Netherlands?). But as said, we will just have to wait and see.

[sn26567]

PS an airport stop for trains from the East (line 36) is most unlikely: this would require reversing the train (to continue towards Brussels.

Not so: there is also a branch of the diabolo going from the airport to Schaarbeek and Brussels via line 25.

[jan_olieslagers]

I stand corrected! Even so, the idea seems little likely, I am afraid. I can only repeat: we will have to wait and see.

[EBKT]

only in Dutch:
http://www.knack.be/nieuws/belgie/den-h ... r-RNBAVUKN

The Hague wants a direct train link with Brussels. The old Benelextrain does not exist any more. Now people from The Hague have to go first to Rotterdam and then change train towards Brussels.

Plan is a direct link which stops in Delft, Rotterdam, Dordrecht, Roosendaal, Antwerpen, Mechelen, Brussel-Centraal en Brussel-Zuid. Unfortunately not at Brussels airport?! Changing in Mechelen could be a solution as they have a very quick link to the airport. Bart Somes (mayor) will probably try to push this idea.

[webstermc]

I read today in 'De Standaard', that 'De Lijn' wants to connect Brussels airport with 2 new tram lines

The first one will go around brussels: between AZ Jette, Brussels Expo, Brussels Airport and Tervuren.
The other one comes from Mechelen and will go directly into Brussels.

I can't give a source as these articles on the online site are only for paying members...
But if you search on TRAM on the site, you'll find the concerned articles

[Comet]

Connections from BRU to Brugge and Oostende would be popular, I'm sure. How many tourists arriving in BRU and heading to Brugge? Surely the majority.

[Charlie Roy]

Connections from BRU to Brugge and Oostende would be popular

You took the words right out of my mouth. A BRU - Oostende connection would certainly make my life easier. Time to start a campaign

[Air Key West]

Plan is a direct link which stops in Delft, Rotterdam, Dordrecht, Roosendaal, Antwerpen, Mechelen, Brussel-Centraal en Brussel-Zuid. Unfortunately not at Brussels airport

That's apparently what the Dutch governement wants. Doesn't the Belgian government have a say in this ? It's an opportunity to make these trains from NL stop at BRU just like other rail links between Brussels and Amsterdam stop at AMS. Skip Delft, Dordrecht and Mechelen, but add BRU. Will the Belgians be smart enough to negotiate this ?