From 7 September 2026, the Deutsche Bahn in partnership with Brussels Airlineswill be opening its new high-speed rail link between Brussels Airport and Cologne. The link will give passengers fast, direct access to the more than 180 destinations served by the Belgian airport. The first train will leave Cologne at 6.11am on 7 September.
On the way, the train will stop at Aachen, Liège and Leuven before arriving at Brussels Airport. It will then continue on to Antwerp. The journey between the airport and Cologne will take around two hours, significantly improving accessibility between Belgium and the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia.
This new service will be integrated into the Brussels Airlines Express Rail programme thanks to a code-share agreement between Brussels Airlines and Deutsche Bahn. The rail link will thus have a Brussels Airlines flight number, enabling passengers to book their entire air/rail journey via the company's website, travel agencies or any other distribution channel. Tickets are already on sale.
An easier journey from start to finish
Thanks to this intermodal system, passengers will benefit from a guaranteed connection in the event of delays and a simplified experience with a single reservation covering the entire journey. Passengers will also be able to collect miles in the Miles & More programme, have a reserved seat and, for customers with premium status, access Deutsche Bahn lounges. Another advantage: the ticket also includes local public transport in Germany, making the end-to-end journey even easier.
For Brussels AirlinesThis link is of strategic importance. According to its CEO, Dorothea von Boxberg, " The western part of Germany has a large African diaspora, which we can now connect to our sub-Saharan network. Our code-share agreements with Deutsche Bahn offer seamless connections in the most sustainable way possible. And this is just the beginning, as we are working on setting up other links"..
For the Lufthansa Group, this project is part of an intermodal strategy aimed at bringing planes and trains closer together. Dieter Vranckx, the group's Chief Commercial Officer, points out that " the continued development of our cooperation with Deutsche Bahn is an essential pillar of the Lufthansa Group's intermodal strategy for smoother, more sustainable travel ".
Brussels Airport sees this new route as an important step in strengthening its role as an international intermodal hub, recognising that combining rail and air travel in Europe is increasingly becoming an attractive alternative.
