Arriving by Eurostar at Bruxelles-Midi/Brussel Zuid station

ShowMeTheJourney's guide to arriving by Eurostar at Bruxelles-Midi/Brussels South station helps makes sense of what can be a confusing station to navigate.

It also explains what to be aware of when making onward connections; both into other train services such as the ICE trains and Thalys trains, or if you will be travelling on to Bruxelles/Brussels city centre.

The Eurostar trains now arrive at either one of two distinct parts of Bruxelles-Midi / Brussel Zuid station.

The trains which have Brussels / Bruxelles as their final destination arrive at voies (platforms/tracks) 1 or 2, which comprise the dedicated Eurostar terminal within Midi/Zuid station.
Only Eurostar trains use this part of the station.

However, the Eurostar trains which continue on to Amsterdam use voies (platforms/tracks) 3 - 6, which are located within the part of the station used by the other high-speed services, the ICE, Thalys and TGV trains.
These are the trains which typically depart from London at:

• 06:16 on Monday to Friday
• 08:16 daily
• 11:04 daily
• 18:04 not Saturday

The platforms (tracks/voies) at Bruxelles-Midi are above street level, so passengers need to descend in order to exit the station and connect into the other train services.

The exit lobby from Eurostar Arrivals at voies 1 and 2 within Bruxelles-Midi/Brussel-Zuid station is beyond the front of the trains and over to the left

The only access down into the main station building from this lobby area is by using either the lifts (elevators) or the staircase.
Queues inevitably build up for the lifts, so taking the stairs can be the quicker option.

To an onward connection from voies / platforms 1 and 2

If you will be connecting into an onward train service, you can follow the signs, which direct you to go ahead from this lobby - the staircase will be on the right.

Ahead you will come to sets of escalators and a lift / elevator which will take you down into a passage which leads to both:

• the international departure zone which gives access to voies /platforms 3 to 6 typically used by Eurostar trains on to Amsterdam and Germany and the TGV services to France
• a passage way which has links by lifts and stairs to all of the other voies / platforms, typically used by the ICE trains to Germany, the EC and ECD trains to The Netherlands and Belgian national trains.

However, this route heads away from the facilities in the station, so it's a good option if your onward train will be departing within 30 mins.

The lifts (elevators) and stairs in the lobby to the left of the ends of the platforms, all exit into a passage which runs across the front of the station.

It is at right angles to the main passage way in the station, the 'Hall de gare / Stationshal', which has the main exits from the station at each end of it

So as you step out of the lift/elevators, this other main passage way is over to left.
Therefore to reach the main exits and to access other train services, the metro and the trams; turn left and then walk ahead to the right of the sign shown above.

There are taxi ranks at both ends of the ground floor passage way across the side of the station, which is beneath the part of the station used by the Eurostar trains - so it is where you'll initially find yourself having descended down Eurostar arrivals.
So if you're taking a taxi you don't have to follow the crowd, most of whom will be heading into the main part of the station.
Though the main taxi rank at Bruxelles-Midi is just outside the main exit from the station, once you're at ground level it will be merely a few steps away, over to the left.
Then once you've stepped outside this exit on to the Place Horta, you will see the taxi rank over to the right.

The main exits at Bruxelles-Midi are located at either end of the main ground level passage way under the railway tracks at Bruxelles-Midi/Zuid.
It is now named the Hall de Gare / the Stationshal and it is immediately over to the left when exiting from the lifts/elevators or stairs, which you will have used to descend from Eurostar arrivals.

On the left of the main passage way, right by Eurostar arrivals, is the primary exit from the station on to Place Victor Horta; and one of the taxi ranks at the station is located here, though at busy times it will have the longest queues.

At the other end of the main passage way,the ‘Couloir Principal'/Hoofdgang', is the secondary exit on to Avenue Fonsny, where many of the nearest hotels to the station are located, including The Ibis and The Radisson.

When a Eurostar train arrives at voies (platforms/tracks 1-2) there are usually two options for making the transfer on to another train departure at Bruxelles-Midi/Brussel Zuid.

1: Using the main passage way in the station

You can take the route which leads into the main station, in effect you will be following the crowd as this route is also used by the passengers exiting the station.
From the arrival concourse. to the left of front of the trains, there are lifts (elevators) and stairs down to the level below, which is where the main access points to the other trains can be found.

When you have descended from the platform.(track/voie), which a Eurostar terminating in Bruxelles will have arrived at, follow the signs pointing the way to voies / Sporen 3 to 22 - no matter which train service you will be connecting to.

When you enter the main street level passage way at the station, the the ‘Couloir Principal'/Hoofdgang', turn to the right to access all of the other trains that will be departing from Bruxelles-Midi.
You'll need to walk passed the Channel Terminal (Eurostar Departures) which you will see on the right and then the international ticket office - pictured above.

A few steps further along on the right will be the departure area for voies/platforms 3-6 that all of the Thalys trains and most of the ICE trains will depart from.

If you will be connecting into a train on to another destination in Belgium, it will be departing from voies/platforms 7 - 22 and further along this 'Hall de gare / Stationshal' on the right there will be sets of escalators and stairs up to each platform, and on the left there are lifts.

The three potentially useful features of taking this route are:

1. You can access and check the information for your onward train, the main departure board is in the ‘Couloir Principal'/Hoofdgang and there are also staffed info booths.
2. There is a waiting area for onward departures.
3. You can access the food/drink options in the station.

2: Using the signposted onward trains route

If you will be connecting into an onward train service, you can follow the signs, which direct you to go ahead from the Eurostar arrivals lobby - the staircase will be on the left.

Ahead you will come to sets of escalators and a lift / elevator which will take you down into a passage, which leads to both:

• the international departure zone which gives access to voies /platforms 3 to 6 typically used by Eurostar trains on to Amsterdam and Germany and the TGV services to France
• a passage way, named the Couloir Sud/Zuidgang, the signs also say 'Galerie Zud' which has links by lifts and stairs, which leads to platforms / voies 7-22 - typically used by the ICE trains to Germany, the EC and ECD trains to The Netherlands and Belgian national trains

However, it's worth considering using this route if you know that your onward train will be leaving within the next 25mins - which includes most of the onward connections into ICE trains.
Most of the Belgian national trains don't arrive at Bruxelles-MIdi until a couple of minutes before departure and the facilities on platforms / voies 7 to 22 are comparatively sparse.

The Eurostar trains heading on to Amsterdam from London arrive in this distinct, modernised area part of Bruxelles-Midi / Brussel-Zuid station.

Towards the middle of the voie (platorm) track, the exits is by escalators and there will also be a lift (elevator) by the front of the train.

The exit from the escalators leads to main passage way under the station, which is named 'Le Couloir Principal/Hoofdgang’ and is pictured above.

If you use the escalators to descend from these platforms, then when you step into this main passage way, the access point to the metro station and underground tram stop will be ahead of you.

The lift on the platforms (track/voie/spoor), will take you directly down into the main main passage way.

The most obvious street exits are at either end of 'Le Couloir Principal/Hoofdgang’ and there are taxi ranks at each of these exits.

This part of the station is also used by the Eurostar formely Thalys trains on to Germany and the Netherlands, the TGV InOui trains and some of the ICE departures from Bruxelles-Midi.
If you're in luck your onward train will be leaving from the adjacent voie (platform/track) which will be just steps away.

Though the most likely scenario is that you'll need to descend from where the Eurostar will have arrived.
The escalators will take you down into an obvious route to the waiting area for the other high-speed departures.
If you use the elevator you will need to cross the main passage way in the station to access this waiting area, it will be to the left of the SNCB international travel desk.

To voies (platforms/tracks) 7 -22

The trains on to other destinations in Belgium and most of the ICE trains on to Germany will leave from voies (platforms/tracks) 7 -22.
When you step off the foot of the escalators there will be passage way, the Couloir Secondaire, which provides a short-cut to voies (platforms/tracks) 7 -22.
This passage has both lifts and stairs up to each set of platforms / voies.

Some of ICE trains on to Germany depart from voies (platforms/tracks) 3 to 6, which comprise the main high-speed terminal within Bruxelles-Midi/Brussel Zuid station.
It has its own waiting area, which also provides the most obvious route to the trains by using escalators.

Though most of the ICE trains depart from voies (platforms/tracks) 7 to 8.

The Eurostar trains which travel beyond Bruxelles to Amsterdam also use this part of the station and that includes the train which typically departs London at 11:04 and usually connects into the 14:25 ICE departure on to Koln/Cologne and Frankfurt.

Making the connection between these trains can, but not always, be as simple as, descending from the Eurostar by escalator, confirming the onward departure and then heading up an escalator to the ICE train.
There's also a possibility that the ICE train will be just steps away on an adjacent voie (platform/track).

The timetable is arranged, so that the majority connections at Bruxelles Midi/Zuid station, between the arrival of a Eurostar from London and the departure of an ICE on to Germany are around 20 minutes.
This is typically more than enough time to make the transfer - the walk from one train to the other will typically take 8 to 12 minutes - depending whether your seats(s) on the Eurostar from London is towards the front or rear of the train.

The ICE train on to Germany will typically hang back for a few minutes, depending on when the 'connecting' Eurostar is actually arriving.
Though if the Eurostar is running late and you have a tightly timed connection, a good idea is to move towards the front of the train before it arrives in Bruxelles/Brussels.

The Eurostar trains which have Bruxelles as a final destination will arrive at voies (platforms/tracks) 1 or 2 and from these platforms there are usually two options of routes to take which lead on to the ICE trains.

Option 1:

The route that's always available is to head beyond the front of the trains and over to the left into the lobby, which gives the access head down to the main part of the station below.
When you enter the main street level passage way at the station, the 'the 'Hall de gare / Stationshal' turn to the right and walk passed the 'Channel Terminal' (Eurostar Departures) and the Thalys train info desks (which will also be on the right) until you see the SNCB International Ticket Office, with it's blue signage -pictured above.

Over to the right you will find the access point to voies (platforms/tracks) 3 - 6 on the other side of a seating area, -which is in effect a departure lounge for the other high-speed train services at Bruxelles-Midi.
It takes less than a minute to walk to this part of the station once you have descended from Eurostar arrivals.

Just beyond this is the access to voies (platforms/tracks) 7 - 8; Though from this main hall the lift / elevator to voies 7 to 8 is out of sight, its in the passage on the left-hand side of the station, by the main access to the Metro station.

2: Using the signposted onward trains route

You can follow the signs, which direct you to go ahead from the Eurostar arrivals lobby - the staircase will be on the left.

Ahead you will come to sets of escalators and a lift / elevator which will take you down into a passage, which leads to both:

• the international departure zone which gives access to voies /platforms 3 to 6.
• a passage way, named the Couloir Sud/Zuidgang, the signs also say 'Galerie Zud' which has links by lifts and stairs, which leads to platforms / voies 7-22

Eurostar now operates the trains to and from London and what were the Thalys services between Bruxelles and both Germany and The Netherlands.
So if the Eurostar arrives in Bruxelles too late to make a connection on what were these Thalys trains, any tickets/reservations can be transferred to a subsequent train free of charge.

You can do this at the SNCB International ticket desk in Bruxelles-Midi station, it's located by the entrance to the part of the station that the ICE and Eurostar trains on to Germany and The Netherlands depart from; Look out for blue signage on its doors and windows.

Though if possible, try to avoid having to make the final connections of the day into trains on from Bruxelles.

taking an ICE service on to Germany

There is relatively new E.U. legislation which protects travellers against financial loss in the event of missed connections due to train delays, but it only applies to 'through tickets'.
The Eurostar terms and conditions specifically state that when booking journeys which combine Eurostar + Thalys trains 'through tickets' will be issued.
However, 'for all other journeys that combine a Eurostar Service and a service provided by another carrier(s), including when purchased in a single commercial transaction, those tickets will be separate contracts and issues regarding delays, missed connections, cancellations, compensation, and the management of aftersales will be handled accordingly'.

So for tickets booked for journeys involving a combination of Eurostar + ICE trains (which are no longer sold by Eurostar, you will be relying on the Agreement on Journey Continuation (AJC) policy

DB, which operates the ICE trains, has signed up to this and it covers the scenario when a traveller holds separate transport 'contracts' for an end-to-end journey involving more than one train.

So this agreement applies both when 'a bundle' of tickets / contracts is issued as the result of a single transaction - and if travellers have bought several different tickets for their journey, 'even from different sales channels/ticket providers. As long as the passenger had planned enough connecting time to change trains (called “reasonable connecting time”), the AJC will apply'.

So you shouldn't need to pay to re-book tickets, and any optional reservations, for the ICE train, if a delayed arrival into Bruxelles causes a missed connection,
But if a delayed Eurostar arrival causes a missed connection into the final ICE train of the day on to Germany, the AJC does not cover the cost of the overnight accommodation, which will need to be booked for a stay in Bruxelles,

You need to use the international terminal at the station to access to these trains.

When you are in the main street level passage way at the station, the 'Hall de gare / Stationshal'' it is located on the right; on the other side of the 'Channel Terminal' (Eurostar Departures) and the Thalys Information desks

The majority of the connections between the arrival of a Eurostar train and the departure of a Thalys train on to The Netherlands are around 50mins.
So if the departure/arrival times and price suit; target these connections that have a total journey time of 4hr 35min - 4hr 50mins.

50 minutes in Bruxelles should ensure a stress-free transfer at Midi/Zuid station, even if the Eurostar arrives up to 20 mins late.

In the unlikely event of a Eurostar arriving too late to make a booked connection into a Thalys train, reservations and tickets for the next Thalys train to depart will be re-issued free of charge at the Thalys Information desks.

It's worth checking the location of your final destination in the city before arriving at Bruxelles-Midi station, as transferring to the Metro or tram may NOT be the best option.
Your Eurostar ticket will be valid on to any other TRAIN station in central Bruxelles which the mainline and NOT the metro trains, call at.

To Le Grand Place from Bruxelles-Midi/Brussel-Zuid station:

Head to Bruxelles-Central station; the Metro and tram stops in the area aren't any nearer.
All trains heading north from voies/sporen/platforms/tracks 9-22 will call at Bruxelles-Central, though it can be tricky to work out which will be the next train to depart; though all of the trains heading to Brussels Airport will be calling at Bruxelles-Central.

To the northern area of the city from Bruxelles-Midi/Brussel-Zuid station:

Those trains to Bruxelles-Central also all call at Bruxelles-Nord, so if you're heading to that part of town, don't take the tram.

To The Council of European Union offices

If you're heading for the area around those offices take a train (and not the metro) to Bruxelles-Schuman station.
Also If you're heading for the area around The European Parliament building take a train (and not the metro) to Bruxelles-Luxembourg station.

Trains heading to Namur/Namen, Gembloux, Louvain-la-Neuve, Luxembourg, Liege-Palais and Ottignies all call at both Bruxelles-Schuman and Bruxelles-Luxembourg.

To the area south of The Grand Place

If your final destination is to the south of Le Grand Place, in the area around the Manneken Pis statue, the easiest option isn't to take the train, but to take tram lines 3 or 4 heading north to the Anneessens stop instead.

More info about connecting to the tram and metro at Bruxelles-Midi is available HERE.

If your final destination is in the area to the north of the Grand Place around the De Brouckére or Rogier tram stops, then also take trams line 3 (heading to Esplanade) or line 4 (heading to Noordstation).
Avoid taking tram line 51.