As of September 2026, Deutsche Bahn will connect Brussels Airport with Cologne with a high-speed train, linking German passengers in only 2 hours to the more than 180 direct destinations of Brussels Airport. Brussels Airlines launches a codeshare agreement with German rail operator Deutsche Bahn, which means that the train connection will also have a Brussels Airlines flight number, so passengers can expect smooth connections at Brussels Airport.
Tickets for this new route are on sale as of today.
Deutsche Bahn is adding Brussels Airport to its network of high-speed train stops as of September 2026. The first train of this new connection will depart in Cologne on September 7th at 06.11 am. The train will stop in Cologne, Aachen, Liège (Luik, Lüttich), Leuven (Louvain, Löwen) and Brussels Airport. Afterwards, the train will continue to Antwerp-Central Railway Station. The ride between Cologne and Brussels Airport would take about 2 hours.
Codeshare
The train will be operated as a codeshare with Brussels Airlines. That means tickets for the route are also on sale via brusselsairlines.com, via travel agents and all other sales channels of Brussels Airlines. With Brussels Airlines Express Rail, passengers can connect smoothly in Brussels Airport on Brussels Airlines’ entire network. Passengers have one booking for their entire journey, a guaranteed connection in case of delays and can accumulate miles via the Miles and More program.
“The continued expansion of our cooperation with Deutsche Bahn is a key pillar of the Lufthansa Group’s intermodal strategy, bringing air and rail even closer together for our customers. By improving rail access to our hubs and better connecting surrounding regions and cities, we are making travel more seamless, efficient and sustainable for our customers”, Dieter Vranckx, Chief Commercial Officer, Lufthansa Group, says.
African diaspora
“We are very happy to announce the first international high speed rail connection to Brussels Airport. The Western part of Germany has an important African diaspora, which we can now connect to our sub-Saharan African network. Our codeshare with Deutsche Bahn offers smooth connections in the most sustainable way. We work on more connections to come”, Dorothea von Boxberg, CEO, Brussels Airlines, says.
“We are very pleased that Brussels Airport is again connected to the high-speed rail network, an important step for Belgium’s international connectivity. Intermodality is indeed one of our strategic objectives and we are strongly committed to developing a robust, future-oriented network that strengthens our role as major intermodal hub. This new high-speed connection with Deutsche Bahn, and in codeshare with Brussels Airlines, will give passengers fast, seamless access from the Western regions of Germany to our more than 180 worldwide destinations, offering an even more efficient and sustainable way to travel to and from the airport”, Arnaud Feist, CEO, Brussels Airport, says.
“More and more people are choosing climate-friendly ways to get to their flights. Connecting rail and air travel is very much in trend. The new direct connection from Cologne to Antwerp via Brussels Airport as a hub has two positive aspects: we are once again meeting the high demand from our passengers for international rail travel – and at the same time, we are expanding our intermodal offering through our cooperation with Brussels Airlines”, Michael Peterson, Member of the Management Board for Long Distance Passenger Transport, Deutsche Bahn, says.
For SN, the advantages of the codeshare are:
- A guaranteed connection.
- Seat reservation in fixed carriage
- Status customers have access to the Deutsche Bahn lounges.
- Miles accrual at Miles and More.
- Ticket includes local transport in Germany.
Brussels Airlines news
- BELGIAN ICON | Brussels Airlines now flies to the Moon with Tintin.
- ‘Bienvenue à Bord’ shows Brussels Airlines behind the scenes to francophone audiences.
- Brussels Airlines and Lufthansa Group will roll-out free high-speed Wi-Fi, together with Starlink: free Wi-Fi coming up across all travel classes, across the entire fleet.
- Brussels Airlines introduces African-inspired meal options on flights from sub-Saharan Africa to Brussels.
- Brussels Airlines opens pop-up lounge for premium passengers during The Loft renovation: a brand-new lounge is scheduled to open by the end of summer 2026.
- Brussels Airlines welcomes new Star Chef Glenn Verhasselt from two-Michelin-star restaurant Sir Kwinten.
- No cancellations at Brussels Airlines due to software updates Airbus.
- Brussels Airlines adds Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, to its network: “the perfect gateway to discover UNESCO treasures in East Africa”.
- Brussels Airlines adds five more Airbus 320neo aircraft to its fleet.
- Brussels Airlines carried nearly 2 million passengers this summer.
- Brussels Airlines notes increasing demand for destinations with cooler temperatures, such Evenes (Norway), Edinburgh (Scotland) and Bilbao (Spain).
- Brussels Airlines celebrates twenty years of women in Maintenance and Engineering.
- Brussels Airlines launch customer for new Virtual Reality pilot training within Lufthansa Group: Lufthansa Aviation Training and Airbus developed new software to enhance pilot trainings.
- Brussels Airlines expects strong summer 2025 with boosted capacity.
- Brussels Airlines set to transport 1 million passengers during Easter and spring 2025 holiday season.
- Brussels Airlines enhances long-haul Business Class experience.
- Brussels Airlines unveils ‘Atomium’: the newest Belgian Icon and brings yet another little piece of Belgium in the air.
- Brussels Airlines, Beobank and Mastercard launch credit cards with exclusive benefits.
- Brussels Airlines Celebrates Aviation Heritage: 100 years of connecting with Africa.
- REVIEW | ‘Welkom Aan Boord’ ft. Brussels Airlines shows reality of an airline.
- Brussels Airlines launches ‘A little piece of Belgium in the air’ campaign.
- Brussels Airlines will welcome 3 more A320neo aircraft in the fleet by summer 2026.
- Brussels Airlines launches most extensive offer ever to Sub-Saharan Africa.
- Brussels Airlines expands in summer 2025: more seats, higher frequencies and over 300 extra jobs.
- Brussels Airlines Training Centre.
- Brussels Airlines switches from AmEx to Mastercard and Beobank to earn Miles & More.
- Brussels Airlines prepares for 2024-2025 winter season, adding more sun to its destinations.
- Brussels Airlines expands its fleet and invests in new cabin interior.
- Brussels Airlines pleased with its punctuality during 2024 summer holiday season.
- Brussels Airlines’ new Belgian Icon livery to be more Belgian than ever: public gets to vote.
- Brussels Airlines wins prestigious wine awards.
- Brussels Airlines is ready for the busy 2024 summer season.
- Brussels Airlines now connects Belgium and Nairobi in Kenya.
- Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Eurowings and Lufthansa present four ‘Yes to Europe’ aircraft in Brussels.
- World premiere: Brussels Airlines and Tomorrowland present aircraft with augmented reality in new livery.
- Brussels Airlines sees increase of leisure travellers in business class.
- Brussels Airlines’ The Loft wins Europe’s Leading Airline Lounge award for the sixth time in a row.
- Brussels Airlines drops new uniforms and more inclusive style guide.
- Brussels Airlines’ first Airbus A320neo performs its maiden flight to Vienna.
- Brussels Airlines and Tomorrowland party flights to use 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel.
Brussels Airport news
- BRUSSELS AIRPORT | 2026 brings Chengdu, Palma de Mallorca, Oviedi, Gdańsk, Pristina….
- Brussels Airport now connected to Beijing, Chengdu, São Paulo, Chongqin, and Sälen, but loses the Caribbean.
- FLANDERS | Chocolate now top agricultural export as Brussels Airport is world’s biggest chocolate retailer.
- 5 million passengers flew from and to Brussels Airport in summer 2025.
- BELGIUM | Flight shame? Airports break records during 2025 summer season.
- Brussels Airport starts update construction works, to be finished by 2032.
More on night trains and transcontinental train travel
- Deutsche Bahn confirms Cologne – Brussels Airport – Antwerp ICE connection from September 2026.
- Trenitalia unveils €2 billion investment plan and orders 74 new Frecciarossa high-speed trains.
- Belgium and the Netherlands work on Brussels to Eindhoven direct train, possibly via Antwerp.
- Belgian Mobility Minister wants to revive direct train service to Switzerland.
- NETHERLANDS | Arriva will not launch the Groningen to Paris service in 2026.
- Booking headache deters almost two in three long-distance rail travellers, poll finds.
- Snälltåget to run Stockholm – Malmö – Copenhagen – Hamburg day trains from May 2026.
- Nox night trains: a smart new cabin concept or just an unachievable dream?.
- How firm are Eurostar and Deutsche Bahn’s “2030s” Germany to London train link plans?.
- Leo Express files plans for extraordinary 2026 Bratislava–Ostend and Venice–Northern Germany services.
- GoVolta re-emerges to offer train services from Amsterdam to Hamburg and to Berlin using Belgian I10 carriages.
- Deutsche Bahn to offer a Cologne – Ostend / Bruges / Ghent – Cologne high-speed train connection in the summer of 2026?.
- Rail should be functional, not fine art: EU leaders call for standardisation and lower costs.
- Subsidies for night trains? “You cannot fix this until someone builds more sleeper and couchette carriages”.
- European Sleeper to operate Paris – Brussels – Berlin night train route from March 2026.
- Leo Express and Arenaways plan direct train between Prague and Venice.
- Italo targets the German high-speed rail market.
- Trenitalia eyes expansion into Germany’s high-speed trains market.
- European Commission wants to link all EU capitals by high-speed train by 2040… and that’s not going to happen.
- Travellers in Europe increasingly open to choosing trains over planes for short-haul journeys.
- REVIEW | European Sleeper night train.
- Paris Nightjet axed: France’s withdrawal threatens Europe’s night train revival.
- 2026 | Deutsche Bahn plans 4 ICE’s per day between Cologne and Antwerp and 16 per day between Frankfurt and Brussels.
- Iron Rhine gets renewed political attention in Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany.
- ÖBB prioritises Railjet over Nightjet: Is the night train revival a False Dawn?.
- EUROPEAN SLEEPER | Brussels to Barcelona night train to stop in Avignon, Montpellier, Narbonne, and Girona.
- Trenitalia, Deutsche Bahn and ÖBB launch Frecciarossa EuroCity trains linking Berlin, Munich, Milan, Rome and Naples.
- European Commission commits to single-ticket train travel, Back-on-Track unconvinced it will happen.
- EU train travel report sees increase in cross-border passenger trains and easier bookings.
- Brussels to Luxembourg by train under 2 hours by 2030?.
- Eurostar and five more train operators joined the European Agreement on Journey Continuation.
- ÖBB’s new Nightjet sleeper cars accommodate solo travellers with Mini Cabins.
- Trenitalia orders new Hitachi Frecciarossa trains suited for France, Belgium and the Netherlands.
- EUROCITY EC-8 | Basel to Cologne in SBB’s Panoramic Car.
- REVIEW | Trenitalia Frecciarossa 1000 Paris – Milan in Business Executive.
- RAIL TOUR OF EUROPE | How easy is touring Europe by train?.
- Eight train connections between the Netherlands and Belgium by 2030?.
- REVIEW | ÖBB Nightjet Amsterdam – Zurich night train.
- Nightjet Vienna/Innsbruck to Brussels, or how we got thrown off the train in Aachen.
- Why the expensive ÖBB Nightjet is really not that expensive.
- Ticket Distribution: the failure of railways to sell themselves.
- To use night trains in Portugal and Spain or not?.
- Night trains in Europe.
- Low-cost, long-haul trains to conquer Europe?.
- Fly now before it’s taxed and consider using the train instead.
Channel Tunnel updates
- A London-bound Eurostar terminal at Antwerp-Central? Highly unlikely!.
- Trenitalia (FS Group) and Certares agree strategic partnership to expand international high-speed rail operations.
- #CROSSCHANNELRAIL | Expanding UK-Europe train links most realistically leading to Switzerland.
- CHANNEL TUNNEL | Virgin Trains gains access to Temple Mills, ORR snubs links to Germany and Switzerland.
- Eurostar unveils €2 billion Alstom ‘Celestia’ fleet of double-decker sustainable trains.
- Gemini Trains partners with Uber for Stratford to France Channel Tunnel route.
- Eurostar and St. Pancras Highspeed back major station expansion to double capacity amid growing international demand.
- EUROSTAR | London – Frankfurt, London – Geneva and Amsterdam – Antwerp – Brussels – Geneva from 2030?.
- Alstom wants its double-decker trains to ride through Channel Tunnel.
- Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane (FS) plan to launch a new high-speed link between London and Paris.
- London St. Pancras Highspeed pledges financial support for cross-Channel rail services.
- London St Pancras Highspeed and Getlink aspire to to triple train services to France, Belgium and the Netherlands and add services to Germany and Switzerland.
- Heuro wants to operate high speeds trains between Amsterdam, Antwerp, Brussels, Paris and London from 2028.