A new “Eurocity Direct” train now connects Gare du Midi to Amsterdam in two hours

The new international high-speed train “EuroCity Direct” has been running since Sunday between Brussels-South and Amsterdam, SNCB announced during the inauguration organized on Sunday morning. Travelers will be able to get from Brussels to Amsterdam in two hours.

SNCB and the Dutch railway company NS kicked off the expansion of the offer already offered by the two railway companies since 1957 on Sunday, shortly before 11 a.m.This new connection is in addition to the already existing IC train service (formerly called “InterCity” and which now runs under the name EuroCity Brussels-Rotterdam since Sunday) thus doubling the number of trains to the Netherlands, in collaboration with our colleagues from Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS)“, rejoiced the Belgian National Railway Company.

EuroCity Direct reduces travel time between Brussels-Midi and Amsterdam-Zuid by 45 minutes (i.e. a journey time of 2h07 on weekdays and two hours on weekends), and offers around 16 round trips daily. “It stops at Brussels-Midi, Antwerp-Central, Rotterdam-Central, Schiphol Airport and Amsterdam-Zuid. The train has more than 400 seats and can accommodate 12 bicycles“, specifies SNCB.

For what price?

The existing IC connection – henceforth called “EuroCity”, therefore – will now stop at Rotterdam-Central. But as before, the train stops at Brussels-Central, Brussels-North, Brussels-Airport – Zaventem, Mechelen, Antwerp-Berchem, Antwerp-Central, Noorderkempen and Breda. All existing stops in Belgium thus retain their connection with the Netherlands. These trains have more than 430 seats and can accommodate eight bicycles.

The price of a EuroCity Direct ticket varies between 25 and 64.1 euros. Tickets for Rotterdam on the EuroCity are available from 13.10 euros. On the EuroCity line, domestic travel remains possible and SNCB tickets are therefore also valid in Belgium. This is not the case on EuroCity Direct.

Belgian