Antwerpen connected directly to Germany for the first time via an ICE
posted on 8th Sep 2026 11:46
Since Monday 7 September 2026, a direct ICE service runs between Antwerpen-Centraal and Köln. It is the first high‑speed service ever to connect Antwerp with Germany. Along the way, the train also stops at Brussels Airport, Leuven, Liège‑Guillemins and Aachen. The new service, operated by DB in cooperation with SNCB, strengthens Antwerp’s international accessibility and offers travellers a fast, comfortable and sustainable link to Germany’s Rhine‑Ruhr region.
The first ICE from Köln arrived on 7 September at Antwerpen‑Centraal in the presence of Antwerp’s mayor Els van Doesburg, SNCB CEO Sophie Dutordoir, and representatives of Deutsche Bahn, Brussels Airport and Brussels Airlines.
Using the Class 408 ICE 3neo trains, the new service takes travellers from Antwerpen to Köln in roughly 2 hours and 20 minutes. Both on weekdays and weekends, two trains run daily in each direction. From Antwerpen‑Centraal, departures are at 11.01 and 19.01. From Köln Hbf the trains leave at 6.11 and 14.38. Tickets between Antwerpen and Kön are available from 29.99 EUR.
From Brussels Airport, travel time to Köln is under two hours. From Leuven,where for the first time an international high‑speed train stops daily, the journey takes about an hour and a half. Both Leuven and Brussels Airport‑Zaventem offer seamless connections to SNCB’s domestic network. On a weekday, up to 330 trains stop at Brussels Airport, and 80 stations have a direct connection to the airport. For Brussels Airport, the new service also marks the return of a high‑speed train after more than ten years.
The Köln - Antwerpen route is the second ICE connection between Belgium and Germany, alongside the Frankfurt – Brussels service. Thanks to this new link, a total of ten ICE trains per day now run between Belgium and Germany in both directions. With this expanded offer, Deutsche Bahn and SNCB are responding to the sharply increased demand for rail travel between Germany and Belgium. Between 2019 and 2025, the number of passengers on cross‑border ICE services between the two countries rose by about 18 %.
The ICE services between Belgium and Germany are the result of years of cooperation between Deutsche Bahn and SNCB. DB is responsible for the commercial operation of the trains, while SNCB handles operational activities on Belgian territory. Concretely, ICE trains in Belgium run under SNCB’s safety licence. Half of the ICEs between Belgium and Germany are driven by SNCB drivers. In addition, SNCB is responsible for part of the cleaning, passenger services and ticket sales through SNCB International.
ICE trains have been running between Belgium and Germany since 2002, meaning ICE will celebrate its 25th anniversary in Belgium in 2027.
