NETHERLANDS: The city of Den Haag has issued a report calling for the reintroduction of a direct passenger service to and from Brussels by 2029. Officials are hoping to link the Dutch seat of government with the Belgian capital before the Netherlands takes up its Presidency of the EU Council in three years’ time.
While not the capital of The Netherlands, Den Haag is the seat of the Dutch government as well as housing multilateral institutions such as the International Criminal Court, the UN’s International Court of Justice and Europol. In total, it is home to approximately 500 international organisations, according to the local authorities.
Despite this international standing, Den Haag does not have a direct passenger rail connection to the political heart of Europe in Brussels or any other European capital. The city lost its direct link to Brussels in 2021, after which IC services to the south went no further than Rotterdam. According to the State Secretary of Transport at the time, this was agreed in consultation with the city council in order to increase domestic trains between Rotterdam and Den Haag to one train every 10 minutes, according to Dutch rail travel website Treinreiziger.
The city now wants to bring the international train back, issuing a planning document entitled ‘Next stop: Europe’. The upcoming Dutch presidency of the EU Council in 2029 provides a clear deadline to aim towards, the municipality believes.
Existing service or open access?
A supporting memo from advisory firm Berenschot outlines the potential benefits of restoring the direct connection. The lack of a direct service forces passengers to transfer in Rotterdam or Schiphol. As a result, this adds travel time and reduces passenger comfort.
The study indicates two possible options to reinstate the service. It notes the most robust woiuld be to extend the existing service operated by NS and SNCB between Brussels and Rotterdam to Den Haag, largely replicating the previous operation. As far as capacity allocation is concerned, the chances of success are ‘relatively high’ since it involves a limited extension of an existing route in the timetable, meaning the impact on the national network is less than that caused by the alternatives, according to the report. While the consultants note that no guarantees can be given regarding capacity allocation by the infrastructure manager ProRail, they report that it would be economically viable to establish a direct connection every 2 h with immediate effect.
The second option is for an open access operator to establish an entirely new service. This would use the operator’s own rolling stock, personnel and marketing strategy. This option allows for significant customisation of timetables and product offerings, and operators could tailor comfort and pricing to the specific needs of passengers. The challenges are significantly larger, however, including sourcing suitable rolling stock.
This approach also carries a commercial risk within a relatively small market. The consultants suggest that large institutions in Den Haag could provide guarantees or long-term ticket purchase agreements for diplomatic travel, for example. The local authority in Den Haag says it invites transport operators, policymakers and businesses to participate.
Passengers could double
Whereas in the past it was assumed that a direct service would attract too few passengers and would therefore
not be financially viable, current forecasts paint a different picture, according to the report. A 2024 market analysis suggests passenger volumes between Brussels and Den Haag could double to reach 340,000 per year by 2040. Without a direct service, passenger numbers in 2040 would remain stuck in the range of 197,000–243,000. Furthermore, this growth could deliver a €10m-€12m contribution to the local economy by 2030.
Berenschot estimates that the sustainability benefits of a direct train service could reach 1,450 tonnes of CO₂ by 2030, mainly as a result of a modal shift from road transport.
Mayor of Den Haag Jan van Zanen says ‘it’s more than just a train service – it’s a link between people, ideas and opportunities.’ The city council unanimously passed a resolution in July last year to support direct European connections, with the restoration of the Brussels service seen as a first step to introducing links to other destinations, including Paris and Berlin. High speed operator Thalys (now Eurostar) had served Den Haag’s main station from 1996 until the opening of HSL-Zuid in December 2009, since when many inter-city trains have bypassed the city.