From Brussels Airport to Cologne by HST

On Monday 7 September, German railway operator Deutsche Bahn inaugurated a new ICE high-speed rail service between Cologne and Antwerp, with stops in Aachen, Liège, Leuven and Brussels Airport. This service reconnects the airport to the international high-speed rail network for the first time since 2015.

The new service is a collaboration between Deutsche Bahn, Brussels Airport, Brussels Airlines and NMBS/SNCB. Travellers from western Germany now have easy access to the 180 destinations served from Brussels Airport. Passengers travelling with Brussels Airlines can travel by train to Brussels Airport using a single combined flight + train ticket and fly on from there to their final destination.

Of course, you can also simply book a train ticket to travel directly from Brussels Airport to Aachen (journey time 1 hr 14 mins) or Cologne (journey time 1 hr 55 mins). The train runs twice a day in both directions. Bookings can be made on the NMBS International or Deutsche Bahn websites.

“The arrival of this high-speed rail service marks an important step in the further development of Brussels Airport as an intermodal hub. We want to offer travellers a range of sustainable options to travel efficiently to and from the airport, across national borders.", says Brussels Airport CEO Arnaud Feist. "This new connection is a great example of how, together with various partners, we are enabling future-oriented mobility.”