In The Hague, South Holland, Member of Parliament Pieter Grinwis (Christian Union, ChristenUnie) has authored a motion calling for the Netherlands‘ cabinet of ministers to consult with their Belgian counterpart to push for a Eindhoven in North Brabant to Brussels direct EuroCity link, from the end of 2027 onwards.
Grinwils has found allies in the Tweede Kamer (Lower House, House of Representatives): D66, D66, Pro (formerly GroenLinks-PvdA), the CDA, and JA21. Together, these parties already command a narrow majority in the House of Representatives. The motion will be put to a vote on Tuesday.
De Kamer,
gehoord de beraadslaging,
overwegende dat er een grote vraag is naar een rechtstreekse verbinding tussen Eindhoven en Antwerpen en dat hiervoor spoorcapaciteit beschikbaar is;
verzoekt de regering om in overleg met België te komen tot een EuroCity Brussel-Breda die voortaan doorrijdt naar Eindhoven Centraal, zo mogelijk vanaf eind 2027, en de Kamer te informeren over de uitkomst en/of een concessiewijziging voor te leggen;
verzoekt de regering voorts om samen met België te onderzoeken of de EuroCity Direct binnen de huidige concessie kan worden opgewaardeerd naar een halfuurdienst,
en gaat over tot de orde van de dag.
Pieter Grinwis, recently argued during a parliamentary committee debate on railways in favour of a EuroCity service linking Eindhoven and Brussels via Breda and Antwerp, Treinreizeiger.nl reports. On Wednesday evening, he tabled a motion instructing the government to make the connection a reality.
Strong demand for the connection
According to the motion, there is significant demand for a direct rail link between Eindhoven and Antwerp, while sufficient rail capacity is available to accommodate the service. The proposal originated with passenger association Rover, which called for the connection in its response to Nederlandse Spoorwegen‘ (NS) draft timetable. NS rejected the request.
Earlier this year, former State Secretary for Public Transport Thierry Aartsen (VVD) and Belgian Minister for Mobility Jean-Luc Crucke (Les Engagés) signed a cooperation agreement to explore the possibility of a direct connection between Eindhoven and Brussels. The EuroCity service was not specifically mentioned in that agreement. According to the document, several options remain under consideration, including the possibility of using newly constructed railway infrastructure.
The EuroCity service between Rotterdam and Brussels-South was introduced with the 2025 timetable. It is operated jointly by NS and Belgium‘s national railway company, NMBS / SNCB. The Belgian operator provides the rolling stock used on the route.
More frequent EuroCity Direct services
The same motion submitted by Grinwis also instructs the Dutch government to discuss with Belgium whether the EuroCity Direct service between Lelystad and Brussels-South could be increased to a half-hourly frequency, instead of operating once an hour as it does at present.
This service was also introduced with the 2025 timetable. However, in this partnership between NS and NMBS / SNCB, it is NS that supplies the trains, using its new ICNG intercity fleet.
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