German rail operator Deutsche Bahn has started new high-speed services between Cologne and Brussels Airport.
The twice-daily service, which was launched on Monday (7 September), is the first high-speed rail route to operate to Brussels Airport since 2015.
DB’s ICE service from Cologne stops at Aachen, Liege and Leuven before arriving at Brussels Airport and then travelling on to its final stop of Antwerp.
The new rail route, which was first announced earlier this year, has been made possible through a codeshare deal between DB and Lufthansa Group-owned Brussels Airlines, with passengers able to combine flights and train trips in a single booking.
Arnaud Feist, CEO of Brussels Airport, said: “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.”
Michael Peterson, DB’s board member for long distance passenger transport, added: “We’re connecting two key transport hubs via the ICE service: Cologne, as a hub for cross-border long-distance travel, and Brussels Airport, as an international hub for onward journeys by air.”
Lufthansa Group already works with DB on its Express Rail intermodal network, which combines flights and rail travel in Germany.