DB Launches Additional ICE Service Cologne Brussels Ostend 2026

COLOGNE, GERMANY – Deutsche Bahn (DB) and Belgian operator SNCB will introduce an additional daily ICE train pair on the Cologne–Brussels corridor for a three-month period in summer 2026. The service will run from the beginning of June until the end of August, increasing the total frequency to nine daily pairs. For the first time, weekend services will extend directly to the Belgian coastal city of Ostend.

What Is the Full Scope of This Project?

The project is a temporary service expansion designed to capture peak summer leisure travel demand between Germany and Belgium. The weekday service adds new stops at Leuven and Brussels North, while the weekend service creates a new direct high-speed connection from Germany to the popular tourist cities of Ghent, Bruges, and the North Sea coast at Ostend. This expansion will utilize DB’s newest ICE 3neo high-speed train sets, which have been operating on the core Frankfurt-Cologne-Brussels route since summer 2024.

Key Project Data

How Does This Compare to Similar Projects?

The increase to nine daily train pairs solidifies the Cologne-Brussels line as a key international corridor, but its frequency remains modest compared to Europe’s busiest routes. The Paris-Brussels corridor, for example, is served by over 20 daily high-speed Eurostar (formerly Thalys) services in each direction, highlighting its role as a primary business and administrative link. Similarly, the Amsterdam-Brussels corridor features a combination of high-speed Eurostar and frequent NS Intercity services, resulting in multiple connections per hour. The DB/SNCB expansion, with its specific focus on weekend leisure destinations, represents a tactical deployment of assets to capture tourism revenue rather than a strategic capacity upgrade for the core business market. The financial details of this cooperative service were not disclosed.

Editor’s Analysis

This temporary service expansion is indicative of a broader European strategy among state operators to compete more aggressively for seasonal, high-yield tourist traffic. By extending the network directly to coastal destinations like Ostend, DB and SNCB are directly challenging private car and coach travel for the summer holiday market. This approach of using existing fleet assets for targeted, temporary routes allows operators to test market demand and generate ancillary revenue without the long-term financial commitment of permanent timetable changes, a trend also seen in night train revivals across the continent. (Source: European Commission, 2023)

FAQ

Q: Which specific train model will be used on this new service?
A: The service will utilize the ICE 3neo, Deutsche Bahn’s newest high-speed train model built by Siemens. These trains, which entered service in 2024, are part of DB’s multi-billion euro fleet modernization program.

Q: Are the new weekend services to Ghent, Bruges, and Ostend permanent?
A: No, the direct ICE service to these cities is explicitly a temporary offering for the summer 2026 season, running from the beginning of June to the end of August. It has not been officially confirmed if this will become a recurring annual service.

Q: Does this affect the separate new service to Antwerp?
A: No, this summer service is distinct from the new direct connection between Cologne and Antwerp. That service, which includes two daily train pairs via Brussels Airport, is scheduled to launch separately on September 7, 2026.