In three years, demand for train paths for international services in Belgium has almost doubled, De Standaard noticed. This is increasing pressure on the Belgian rail network, where more and more sections are being declared saturated, and it is also affecting the availability of domestic train services.
International rail services are expanding rapidly in Belgium. Over the past three years, The ‘Benelux‘ replacement EuroCity and EuroCity Direct run jointly by Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS) and NMBS / SNCB, the high-speed services of Eurostar and SNCF’s TGV inOui, and the night trains run by European Sleeper have nearly doubled their requests for train paths, increasing by 80%, according to figures obtained by De Standaard, from the Belgian rail infrastructure manager Infrabel. Over the same period, requests for domestic train paths rose by 6.6%, while freight services increased by 7.3%.
This growth is positive for Belgium’s international connectivity. From September, a new high-speed service operated by Deutsche Bahn (DB) will link Cologne in Germany with Brussels Airport and Antwerp. However, the expansion of international services is also adding pressure to an already busy rail network, with international and domestic trains increasingly competing for the same train paths.
Saturated lines
At the end of 2024, a domestic intercity service on the busy Brussels–Antwerp corridor had to give way to an international train, prompting strong protests from passenger organisations. As early as 2023, NMBS / SNCB chief executive Sophie Dutordoir warned in parliament that new international services would affect domestic operations after a peak-hour train from Ghent-Dampoort to Brussels had to make way for a Eurostar service.
During the past three years, Infrabel has also declared several sections of the network officially “saturated” for the first time. This occurred in 2024 on a temporary basis during works at Ghent St Peter’s. Last year it also applied to the lines between Vilvoorde and Mechelen, between Bury St. Mary’s (Sint-Mariaburg) and Antwerp-Luchtbal, and between Athus-North and Autelbas.
The infrastructure manager uses this designation when several operators request the same slot and no compromise can be reached. In such cases the train path is allocated according to legally established priority rules and the level of the track access charge.
On high-speed lines, high-speed trains have a slight advantage, according to Infrabel spokesperson Thomas Baeken. On conventional lines, however, international services do not automatically take priority over domestic trains.
This year, only Brussels-South (Midi, Zuid), the hub of international rail traffic in Belgium, still experiences saturation on certain tracks at specific times of the day. Of the more than 1.53 million train paths requested this year for domestic trains, 240 (0.02%) were not allocated because of saturation. For international trains, 800 of the 63,576 requested paths (1.27%) could not be granted.
Capacity limits in a densely populated country
When part of the network is declared saturated, the infrastructure manager must prepare a capacity expansion plan. Such a plan for the three lines declared saturated last year has recently been approved by the government. However, quick solutions are not always possible. Building additional tracks is expensive — particularly as Infrabel is required to cut costs — and difficult in a densely populated country like Belgium.
According to Baeken, the saturation between Vilvoorde and Mechelen is largely due to the ongoing reconstruction of Mechelen station. These works are expected to continue until mid-2033, after which capacity should be restored.
3,600 kilometres used daily by about 4,000 trains
Capacity can also be increased through technological improvements or more efficient timetable planning, but these solutions have limits on a network of around 3,600 kilometres used daily by about 4,000 trains.
Not only international traffic is growing strongly; NMBS /SNCB is also expanding its services, as required by its management agreement with the Federal Government. In addition, more freight transport by rail is intended to reduce the number of trucks on increasingly congested roads.
A more complex railway puzzle
All these ambitions are making the planning process increasingly complex. For the governing party CD&V, it is therefore clear that in the future no domestic rail connection should be sacrificed for international services.
On saturated lines, domestic trains should receive priority, according to Member of Parliament Tine Gielis, who introduced a resolution last year to change the rules.
Questions to be asked
However, transport economist Jochen Maes (Ecorys and Ghent University) notes that this raises questions about broader policy ambitions. Governments also want to replace short-haul flights with train travel and shift more freight transport onto rail, both of which are important for the country’s economic attractiveness.
Maes believes there are still creative ways to expand capacity. For example, Eurostar could consider operating double-decker trains. He also questions why domestic passengers are not allowed to use the EuroCity service between Brussels and Antwerp, even though those trains often run half empty on that section.
Quick comment
“Why doesn’t Eurostar operate double-deckers? And why aren’t domestic passengers allowed to use the EuroCity train between Brussels and Antwerp, even though it’s often half-empty on that route?”, Maes asks.
Maybe Eurostar can. But getting hold of double-decker high-speed rolling stock is near-impossible right now. It’s quite unthinkable the mostly French-owned Eurostar would order anything else than Alstom trains. And Alstom has a terribly long backlog of orders. Also: with what money?
But even if Eurostar could get hold of double-decker trains, is it that interesting? Capacity per train is one factor, but commercially much more interesting is frequency. That’s why airlines in Europe prefer many flights with narrow-body aircrafts from met’s say Brussels to Berlin than only a few with wide-body aircrafts. It’s more attractive to have several options per day, than just one or two.
And, perhaps a detail lost by the newspaper: the EuroCity, using I11 coaches, is useable domestically. The EuroCity Direct, with its distinctive yellow and blue NS livery ICNG-B rolling stock, isn’t. Why this discrepancy in terms of use? I reckon it’s a marketing choice.
