Tickets for faster Amsterdam-Brussels trains are now on sale
Dutch national railway NS put tickets on sale on Wednesday for its new high-speed train service connecting Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Brussels, which is set to launch on December 15. It will launch simultaneously with a second service connecting Rotterdam, Breda and Brussels.
The EuroCity Direct train service will travel between the Amsterdam Zuid and Brussels Zuid-Midi stations. The high-speed route will cut travel time between the two capitals to just over two hours, the NS noted. The train will also stop at Schiphol Airport, Rotterdam Centraal, and Antwerp's central train station.
The train will run between the two cities 16 times per day. The first Eurocity Direct train will depart daily at around 6 a.m. from Amsterdam Zuid, with hourly departures thereafter. One-way tickets for this route start at 25 euros, with prices ranging up to 64.10 euros for second-class, depending on the time of booking and level of flexibility.
The EuroCity Direct service is being tested ahead of a new timetable. It is part of a joint effort between NS and Belgian railway operator NMBS to increase the number of daily train trips between the two countries.
In addition to the Amsterdam-Brussels connection, the EuroCity service will run 16 more trains daily between Rotterdam and Brussels Zuid-Midi. This route, operated by NMBS, will also stop at Breda, Noorderkempen, Antwerpen Centraal, Antwerpen Berchem, Mechelen, Brussels Airport-Zaventem, Brussels Noord, and Brussels Centraal.
It will mean passengers from Amsterdam, The Hague and Utrecht will need to change trains to travel on the route. "The travel time for these passengers will remain comparable to the current connection," the NS claimed.
The first EuroCity will depart from Rotterdam every day at about 7 a.m. It will also run 16 times between Rotterdam and Brussels. One-way tickets will range from 13.10 euros to 32.70 euros for second class tickets.
NS has begun testing the new high-speed Brussels route, which will run until December. The EuroCity Direct route will involve the use of the ICNG, a train specially designed for this route. Passengers who have booked travel to Brussels during this period may have the chance to participate in one of the test runs.
