Deutsche Bahn plans more trains to Belgian cities

German railway company Deutsche Bahn (DB) has requested new connections between Cologne and Aachen and the Belgian stops of Liège, Brussels National Airport, Leuven and Antwerp, according to the Federal Transport Regulatory Agency.

The new high-speed service would be operated by DB's ICE trains, scheduled to run twice a day in each direction from 7 September 2026.

Trains to Germany would depart from Antwerp Central at about 11.00 and 19.00, arriving in Cologne at about 13.30 and 21.30.

Trains departing from Germany would leave Cologne at 6.30 and 14.30, arriving in Antwerp at 9.00 and 17.00 respectively.

The trains would run on high-speed lines between Germany and Leuven, then on the regular line between Leuven and Antwerp.

Currently, eight ICE trains run daily in each direction between Germany (Frankfurt, Cologne, Aachen) and Belgium. They also stop in Liège before continuing on to Brussels.

Eurostar high-speed trains - formerly Thalys - also run between Belgium and Germany.