Direct train between The Hague - Brussels Airport in 2015

[andorra-airport]

The Dutch city of The Hague is working with Arriva and Brussels Airport on an international train between Brussels and The Hague. The train is expected to drive in December 2015, or earlier if possible.

The "Low Country Line" connects The Hague Central Station every hour with Brussels South and stops in Delft, Rotterdam Centraal, Dordrecht, Roosendaal, Antwerp Central, Mechelen, Brussels Airport and Brussels Central Station. The train has no reservation obligation and the price level of the ticket is around that of a regular train.

Brussels Airport hopes that more Dutch people will use the airport with this direct link.

In Dutch: http://fd.nl/economie-politiek/265110-1 ... ar-brussel

In Frenche: http://www.7sur7.be/7s7/fr/3007/Bruxell ... 2015.dhtml

[Air Key West]

In 2015 ? Efficiency at its best from NS and SNCB/NMBS. Anyway, this train is too slow (stops to often) to be attractive to pax wanting to fly from BRU. What BRU and b.air need is a train from The Hague straight to Rotterdam, Antwerp, BRU, and on to Brussels). No other stops.

[airazurxtror]

I fail to see why an inhabitant of The Hague would want to come and take a flight at Brussels when Amsterdam is much nearer.

[lumumba]

I fail to see why an inhabitant of The Hague would want to come and take a flight at Brussels when Amsterdam is much nearer.

For the same reason we take the train to Paris or Amsterdam to take a plane.
Regards

[tangolima]

Hello

I regulary travel between Amsterdam and Antwerp via The Hague and I often met dutch people who are going to CRL for a flight. Do not forget that most holiday periods are not the same. So if their is a holiday in Belgium, airline tickets are much cheaper in NL and vice versa.

Greetings,

[earthman]

In 2015 ? Efficiency at its best from NS and SNCB/NMBS.

Except this train has nothing to do with either NS or SNCB/NMBS!

This is an initiative of the city of The Hague, in association with Arriva. If anything, it will be Arriva who will run the train. (Arriva is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn). The Hague was a bit upset about losing the direct link with Brussels, due to the axing of the Beneluxtrein and attempting to replace it with the Fyra. So they started a tender for a new international rail link, and Arriva seems to have won that, or at least be the last one still talking to them.

Anyway, this train is too slow (stops to often) to be attractive to pax wanting to fly from BRU. What BRU and b.air need is a train from The Hague straight to Rotterdam, Antwerp, BRU, and on to Brussels). No other stops.

Well, the train is first and foremost intended to link The Hague and Brussels, the airport stop is just a bonus. Besides, there was some talk about using high-speed trains, so who knows. Through its parent company DB Arriva has access to quite some HST expertise.

[earthman]

P.S. here is a nice Wikipedia entry on the initiative.

[airazurxtror]

I fail to see why an inhabitant of The Hague would want to come and take a flight at Brussels when Amsterdam is much nearer.

For the same reason we take the train to Paris or Amsterdam to take a plane.
Regards

We take to train to Paris or Amsterdam because they are large airports with many more destinations and flights to all parts of the world.
But I don't see why one would come from Paris or Amsterdam to BRU rather than fly from CDG, AMS or even ORY.

[sn26567]

But I don't see why one would come from Paris or Amsterdam to BRU rather than fly from CDG, AMS or even ORY.

For the same reason as you go to CRL

[lumumba]

But I don't see why one would come from Paris or Amsterdam to BRU rather than fly from CDG, AMS or even ORY.

For the same reason as you go to CRL

Price is one reason for example I took a flight with ETIHAD to Johannesburg but departed from Amsterdam because the price was much cheaper. I had the same flight from Brussels .
And yes you have destinations that are not linkt to Amsterdam. Kinshasa,Douala,Yaounde,Tirana,etc...

[Comet]

What would be good (as well as popular) would be a train from BRU to Brugge and Oostende.

[Boeing747-nurse]

A very good idea that train link via Brussels Airport!
In the future, when the new Josaphat tunnel will be operationable, they could do:
The Hague-Rotterdam-( Roosendaal )- Antwerp Central- Brussels Airport- Brussels Schuman- Namur- Luxembourg- ( Strassbourg ). Then you have a train link between all the important (political ) capitals and institutions and a link with an international airport, and 2 cities with the largest harbour of Europe.

Problem can be that the trainspeed from Brussels to Strassbourg is not yet at the level of a high speed line ( and won't be as there are too many curbs as I have been told ).

[airazurxtror]

But I don't see why one would come from Paris or Amsterdam to BRU rather than fly from CDG, AMS or even ORY.

For the same reason as you go to CRL

Speaking of CRL, I wonder : why is there no railway link to Brussels South airport, like there is to Brussels ?
That would sure please Mister Gustin, who is so fond of level playing fields !

[sn26567]

Why is there no railway link to Brussels South airport?

It is one of the (low) priorities of the Walloon government. But there are other means of public transportation to CRL and otherv more urgent priorities. And even "navetteurs.be", which represents the daily users of the Belgian Railways in Wallonia, is against the project: "L’association de voyageurs est fermement opposée au raccordement à l’aéroport de Gosselies, beaucoup trop cher et sans plus-value pour les usagers et navetteurs." (Their press release dated today!)

[LJ]

Except this train has nothing to do with either NS or SNCB/NMBS!

You can't do this without SNCB/NMBS as they have a monopoly on accepting pax on Belgian soil. There has been talk about this for weeks and the general conclusion is that it won't make sense unless it can take local Belgian passengers as well.

BTW this is alos why no local traffic on the Thalys is allowed in The Netherlands.

[tolipanebas]

Speaking of CRL, I wonder : why is there no railway link to Brussels South airport, like there is to Brussels ?
That would sure please Mister Gustin, who is so fond of level playing fields !

Good idea...
Let's start by prefinancing it through increasing the airport taxes at CRL by say 10 euro p/p

[brusselsairlinesfan]

But I don't see why one would come from Paris or Amsterdam to BRU rather than fly from CDG, AMS or even ORY.

For the same reason as you go to CRL

I do it (PAR-BRU)... as a brussels airlines fan

[earthman]

Except this train has nothing to do with either NS or SNCB/NMBS!

You can't do this without SNCB/NMBS as they have a monopoly on accepting pax on Belgian soil. There has been talk about this for weeks and the general conclusion is that it won't make sense unless it can take local Belgian passengers as well.

BTW this is alos why no local traffic on the Thalys is allowed in The Netherlands.

Apparently in Belgium there is some jurisprudence in this regard, concering the Deutsche Bahn ICE Cologne-Brussels.