Rail commuters and visitors in Brussels and Amsterdam are set to benefit from a fast new intercity train service between the Belgian and Dutch capitals by the end of 2024, earlier than Dutch (NS) and Belgian (SNCB) railway operators anticipated. But, perhaps inevitably, the new proposition is already drawing negative reactions.
Operators boast the Intercity New Generation (ICNG) connection will shave 40 minutes from the existing journey time by rail, stopping only at Brussels-South, Antwerp-Central, Rotterdam-Central and Amsterdam Schipol. Designed to complement, not replace, the current Benelux train, the new service will also mean the number of scheduled journeys between the cities every day will double from December 2024, going from 16 to 32.
NS will achieve the faster service by deploying new rolling stock that can reach speeds of 200 km/h on high-speed lines. But it is also saving minutes by reducing the number of stops – an efficiency that many observers are already saying is a step too far.
By avoiding stops at Brussels-North, Brussels-Central and Amsterdam-Central the train can make a much faster connection, but potential users are pointing out in online commentary that the new fast train will not actually go to the centre of either city. For that, passengers will have to alight at Brussels-South or Amsterdam Schipol and take a tram, metro or bus onwards – which will effectively cancel out much of the time supposedly saved.
Belgian public transport users’ organisation TreinTramBus has welcomed the move, with spokesperson Kees Smilde noting, “There is certainly a demand for a fast train connection between Brussels and Amsterdam. It’s finally here.”
But skipping stops does not make sense, the non-profit body says. “We ask that this be reviewed. Brussels-North is an important transfer station to the rest of Belgium, and Brussels-Central remains the main destination for tourists and travellers to the city centre.”
In another irony, while the new service takes Amsterdam-bound commuters to Schipol, it will fail to make a reciprocal fast connection to Brussels Airport, meaning that flyers who want to transfer between the two hubs cannot use the fast train to make a direct journey.
Authorities point out Brussels-North and Central stations will still be served by the normal train connection to the Netherlands, which also stops at Brussels Airport-Zaventem, Mechelen and Breda, but in the battle for hearts and minds it is not clear a convincing case has yet been made for the new service as part of a multi-modal transport network.
