Train instead of short flights: Lufthansa Group and Brussels get a new ICE connection
Brussels Airport will enter a new phase of connectivity with Europe’s high-speed rail network from autumn 2026: Deutsche Bahn is introducing direct ICE departures that will link the airport in Zaventem with western Germany, and they will also appear on sale as part of a single “train + plane” booking via Brussels Airlines, a Lufthansa Group member. The idea is simple: some passengers who previously reached airline hubs via short “feeder” flights, or had to combine multiple rail transfers, will get a more direct and predictable overland arrival at the airport. In practice, this step should ease pressure on short routes, reduce per-passenger emissions, and extend the reach of Brussels’ network toward the North Rhine–Westphalia region.
For travelers from Croatia and the region, Brussels is often an entry point for EU institutions, business meetings, and cultural events, so when planning a trip the question of on-the-ground logistics naturally arises, including
accommodation offers in Brussels or
accommodation near Brussels Airport when early departures and late arrivals are the focus.
The announcement was published on 26 February 2026, while the start of operational service is set for 7 September 2026 – a date already entered in aviation-industry and rail-operator plans as a test moment for cross-border integration that has been progressing in Europe for years more slowly than ambitions.
What will be introduced from 7 September 2026 and what the route looks like
According to the announced timetable, the new international ICE will connect Cologne and Antwerp, and the key novelty is a stop at Brussels Airport. The route is planned to include stops at Köln Hbf, Aachen, Liège, Leuven, and Brussels Airport, after which the train continues to Antwerpen-Centraal. Operationally, this means two round trips per day, which for the initial phase is a compromise between an attractive offer and realistic capacity on international corridors. The estimated travel time between Cologne and Brussels Airport is about two hours, and the morning departure is planned to arrive at the airport at 08:29, with a clear intention to “catch” departure waves to long-haul destinations.
The trains are expected to be operated by the ICE 3neo, the newest generation of DB’s high-speed fleet, which is being gradually introduced on international services after obtaining the necessary approvals for operations in Belgium and the Netherlands. Passengers will be able to buy tickets through standard railway and airline sales channels, as well as through travel agencies, with the emphasis that part of the capacity is sold as a “joint product” with its own code and conditions, not merely as an ordinary rail ticket.
For those coming to Brussels for multi-day meetings or conferences, this line further changes the access calculation to the city and the airport, so it is reasonable to check in advance
accommodation for visitors in Brussels, especially if an early train arrival and a same-day onward flight are planned.
How the “joint ticket” works and what the benefits are
The model relies on the codeshare logic known from aviation: the passenger buys one booking that includes both the rail segment and the flight, and the system treats it as a single journey. In practice, this means the ICE gets the status of a “virtual flight” in reservation systems, with a clear link to specific Brussels Airlines flights and, indirectly, the Lufthansa Group network. The most important element is connection protection: in the event of train delays or disruption, the passenger is provided with an alternative continuation of travel under the rules agreed for the intermodal product, not under the classic rules of separately purchased tickets.
Additional benefits include a reserved seat in a pre-designated coach, mileage accrual in the Miles & More program, and access to the DB lounge in Cologne for passengers with the appropriate status or travel class. The package also includes city tickets for local transport in Cologne and Aachen, a detail that may seem secondary at first glance but often makes the difference in practice – especially in situations where the station transfer is tight or when the traveler must “cover” the last few kilometers to the railway station.
Brussels Airlines brands this product as a continuation of the Lufthansa Group intermodal strategy, whose best-known example is Lufthansa Express Rail in Germany. That program has for years treated ICE connections as part of travel to the Frankfurt hub, with a single booking, check-in, and connection guarantee, and DB describes it as an alternative to airline feeder flights for passengers from a larger number of cities.
Why Brussels is key and for whom the line matters most
In Belgium’s and Europe’s transport picture, Brussels Airport has long stood out as an airport without a direct connection to the international high-speed rail network, even though it is located in an area with exceptionally dense rail infrastructure. That is precisely why the airport management presented this agreement as a step that strengthens Belgium’s international connectivity and positions Zaventem as an intermodal hub, not merely an aviation point. In the context of the Lufthansa Group, Brussels gains an additional role: it becomes a gateway for a region with a large concentration of passengers who often travel to Africa and to intercontinental destinations, while at the same time living close enough for an overland arrival to make sense.
In recent years, Brussels Airlines has been building an identity as a European carrier with a strong network toward sub-Saharan Africa. That segment explains why western Germany is emphasized in company statements: North Rhine–Westphalia has significant communities with African roots, so it is expected that some passengers will prefer a high-speed train to Brussels instead of transferring on short flights to other hubs. For passengers, this means a wider choice of itineraries, but also a different type of travel day: fewer security checks and boardings in the air phase, more time in one mode of transport, and a potentially more stable departure point from the city center, such as Köln Hauptbahnhof.
From a tourism perspective, the line is also interesting because it connects Cologne, Aachen, Liège, and Leuven with the Brussels airport, opening the possibility for the trip to be “spread” across multiple destinations. This is especially relevant in periods when hotels in Brussels are under pressure from large trade fairs or political meetings, so some visitors choose to stay in surrounding cities and commute daily, with
accommodation near the event venue in Brussels as one of the frequent searches.
Broader European trend: reducing short flights and strengthening high-speed rail
Such projects fit into the broader trend of European transport policies that in the last decade have increasingly encouraged shifting part of travel from planes to rail. In strategic mobility documents, the European Commission emphasizes the need to grow rail transport, including increasing the share of high-speed lines, alongside “fairer” pricing in transport that would better reflect climate costs. The most visible political move so far has been made by France, which by a decree from May 2023 defined the conditions for banning certain domestic scheduled flights when a rail alternative shorter than 2 hours and 30 minutes exists.
Although the French model is specific and applies to a limited number of routes, it is a strong signal of direction: states increasingly view short flights as a “reserve” that, where possible, should be replaced by a faster train or a train + plane combination. In that context, practice from Germany is often cited as an example: on the Cologne–Frankfurt route, after strengthening high-speed rail supply, the air connection disappeared completely as early as 2007, and passengers were shifted to ICE toward the integrated air-rail terminal at Frankfurt Airport. The Brussels project is a logical continuation of the same idea, except that this time it crosses national borders and enters an area of different regulatory and infrastructure regimes.
For readers planning travel through Brussels, especially in periods of major international events, the practical side of the story remains as important as policy: the availability of
accommodation in Brussels and proximity to transport hubs often determine whether the intermodal concept is experienced as relief or as added complexity.
Prices still “spoil” the intermodal story
Although public statements emphasize environmental benefits and practicality, the commercial layer of such projects is often the hardest. A joint ticket must simultaneously satisfy the logic of railways, which in Europe often manage capacity through dynamic pricing and limited quotas, and the logic of the airline industry, which relies on revenue management and variable fares. In theory, integration should simplify the journey and remove transfer risks, but in practice the traveler quickly compares the price of the “bundle” with the price of separately purchased train and flight. When the difference is small, the benefits and connection guarantee easily justify the product; when the difference grows, the intermodal concept loses part of its audience. In practice, depending on the day of travel, quota availability, and fare rules, it can happen that the “joint ticket” ends up roughly twice as expensive as a scenario in which the traveler separately buys the rail segment and the flight, which immediately raises the question of how much the market is willing to pay for additional safety and comfort.
The broader problem is that Europe’s transport market still does not have level conditions. Analyses of travel prices show that on a large number of cross-border routes the train is often more expensive than the flight, despite the climate advantage of rail. Greenpeace’s 2025 analysis, for example, points out that on most of the observed international routes airline tickets were cheaper than rail tickets, and links the differences to the tax treatment of aviation and the cost structure of rail. An additional layer is the fact that EU rules allow exemptions from fuel excise duties for commercial aviation within certain frameworks, while rail operators bear high charges for infrastructure access and energy, which ultimately flows into the ticket price.
In such an environment, intermodal products often become a “collateral victim” of the system: they are expected to be greener and simpler, but also price-competitive, while the underlying tax and infrastructure relationships do not change equally fast. Scientific research on intermodal fares further shows how tense the balancing act is between operator revenue and traveler cost, because managing delays and transfer risks can trigger price corrections that travelers experience as unpredictable. For DB and Brussels Airlines, therefore, offer transparency – what is included, what is guaranteed, and under what conditions – will be just as important as the train’s speed itself.
Operational risks: delays, liability, and passenger rights
An intermodal ticket changes the allocation of responsibility. With separately purchased tickets, the traveler generally bears the risk of delays, while an integrated product assumes coordination between operators and clear re-routing rules. This requires data exchange, planning minimum connection times, and willingness to share costs in case of disruptions. It is no coincidence that professional papers on air–rail integration emphasize the importance of delay management and shared protocols, because only then does a connection guarantee stop being perceived as a marketing phrase and become a functional safety net.
For passengers, the practical benefit is seen at the most critical moment – when the train is late and the flight does not wait. That is when the difference between “you’re on your own” and “we will rebook you” is greatest. That is precisely why the codeshare model, introduced in this project for Brussels Airport, has the potential to change habits on routes that until now relied on short flights or on transfers between different carriers without shared responsibility.
Still, success will also depend on infrastructure reliability. In its plans for 2026, DB announced an expansion of cross-border ICE connections and greater timetable standardization, explaining that this is intended to improve stability and reduce delays. This is an important signal because an intermodal product cannot survive long term if the connection guarantee is “triggered” too often – then operator costs rise and passenger trust falls.
What could decide success: frequency, information, and realistic pricing logic
At the start, two daily round trips offer enough to cover morning and afternoon waves, but the market will quickly show whether it wants more. If it turns out that passengers really change habits and choose the train as a feeder to flights, the logical next step will be increasing frequency or expanding the concept to other cities. Brussels Airlines is already signaling that it wants additional connections, and DB, through its intermodal strategy, openly talks about expanding cooperation with carriers.
For passengers, the key will be simple information: a clear comparison of options, visible connection-guarantee conditions, and understandable rules in case of disruptions. If the intermodal ticket becomes a “black box” in which the price jumps without explanation and rules are buried in footnotes, the product will hardly become mass-market. If, however, the combination is transparent and predictable, then ICE speed and the logic of a single booking can become the new standard for access to the Brussels hub.
In everyday travel planning, this comes down to concrete decisions: whether a passenger from Cologne to an intercontinental flight in Brussels will choose the train that arrives at 08:29 and have enough time for check-in, and whether the price and connection security will justify the choice. For city visitors, an additional advantage is that arrival can be aligned with available capacity on the market, so on days of high demand one can look for
accommodation in Brussels for business travelers or
accommodation near stations and the airport that makes early-morning departures easier. If intermodal integration proves reliable, Brussels could in 2026 get what European mobility has long been announcing: a journey in which train and plane do not compete, but complement each other.
Sources:- Railway-News – details on the DB and Brussels Airlines codeshare agreement, route, stops, and benefits ( link )- TravelMole – quotes from Lufthansa Group, Brussels Airlines, and Brussels Airport management and an overview of the “Express Rail” concept benefits ( link )- International Railway Journal – DB’s 2026 timetable changes and the announcement of four daily ICE pairs Cologne–Antwerp via Brussels Airport ( link )- Lufthansa Group Newsroom – information on the Lufthansa Express Rail program and the intermodal “one booking, two boarding documents” model ( link )- Deutsche Bahn – fact sheet on cooperation with airlines, Express Rail, and the Rail&Fly model ( link )- Deutsche Bahn – overview of the ICE 3neo and conditions for international operations in Belgium and the Netherlands ( link )- European Commission (DG MOVE) – strategic mobility objectives, including increasing the share of high-speed lines ( link )- French government (info.gouv.fr) – explanation of banning certain short domestic flights where a train alternative of up to 2h30 exists ( link )- Légifrance – Decree No. 2023-385 on conditions for applying the ban on domestic flights when a rail alternative shorter than 2h30 exists ( link )- European Commission (Taxation and Customs Union) – clarification of the framework for excise exemptions on fuel for commercial aviation under the Energy Tax Directive ( link )- Greenpeace – 2025 analysis of air and rail travel prices in Europe and reasons for price differences ( link )- Transport Policy (ScienceDirect, open access) – research on setting intermodal fares and the impact of delays on pricing strategies ( link )
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