Coronavirus: impact on your international train travel

As a result of the Covid-19 epidemic, Thalys is adapting its capacity and reducing its train supply. As from Saturday 21 March, Thalys will be operating 15% of its trains, ensuring:

• 2 trains in each direction between Brussels and Paris
• 2 trains in each direction between Brussels and Amsterdam

From Tuesday 31 March to Thursday 30 April 2020, the service will be adapted as follows:

• 1 train in each direction between Brussels and Paris (9322 BRU 10:13 - PAR 11:35 / 9351 PAR 14:25 - BRU 15:47)
• 1 train in each direction between Brussels and Amsterdam (9315 BRU 9:52 - AMS 11:44 / 9352 AMS 13:15 - BRU 15:08)

Connections to Germany and the Thalys Snow are not being served.

Thalys traffic forecasts for the next days >

All Thalys tickets for journeys from 10 March until 30 April are exchangeable or refundable at no additional cost, regardless of their fare conditions. Given the large number of calls, you can exchange your tickets or have them reimbursed up to 2 weeks after the date of your original journey.

Please note: if you cancel online, our system will automatically apply the normal refund conditions of your ticket. If the conditions of your ticket do not provide a full refund, please contact us on +32 2 801 90 10 for a full refund due to the corona virus (for tickets purchased from SNCB)

In addition, all tickets for travel from 1 May to 31 July 2020 will be exchangeable and refundable at no additional cost up to 30 days before departure.

Besides, the Thalys Welcome Bar carriage will remain closed and no meals will be served in Premium until further notice (currently no sales of Premium tickets). Thalys Lounge & More in Brussels-Midi and Paris Nord will remain closed until further notice as well.

More information about Thalys measures > 

Containment system in France:
From Tuesday 17 March, movements in France will be prohibited, except in certain specific cases and on presentation of a certificate. More information can be found at www.gouvernement.fr/info-coronavirus.

Assistance for people with reduced mobility on the French network will be suspended by SNCF from 18 March 2020 for the duration of phase 3 in France. It is therefore no longer possible to book assistance in Belgium for travel to France.

Update 20/03 for ticket exchange:

For more flexibility and to avoid the long waiting time at the Call Center, you can postpone your trip until 30 April 2021 at no additional cost. You simply need to keep your original ticket and contact us later, when the sale for your new travel date is open (from about 4 months before departure). You can then book a new journey in the future (subject to availability).

As a result of falling demand, Eurostar has revised their timetables and will operate only a limited number of trains as from 19 March. Besides, as from 26 March, Eurostar will no longer serve Lille Europe station.

Travellers who wish to cancel their journey (for all journeys between Friday 13 March until Monday 1 June 2020) can receive a voucher to the value of their current Eurostar reservation. This electronic voucher is valid for a new reservation on the Eurostar website from Monday 16 March to Wednesday 30 September 2020 inclusive, for a journey until the end of March 2021 (subject to availability).

View all measures of Eurostar and get your voucher for later travel >

Containment system in France:
From Tuesday 17 March, movements in France will be prohibited, except in certain specific cases and on presentation of a certificate. More information can be found at www.gouvernement.fr/info-coronavirus.

On Friday 20 March, only the following TGV train will depart from Brussels:

• 9826 : Brussels-Midi 10:17 - Lyon Part-Dieu 14:00.

As from Saturday 21 March, no TGV trains will operate to and from Brussels until further notice (temporary situation).

For all other TGV connections, please check the train traffic via SNCF Infolignes.

TGV tickets for journeys from 9 March until 30 April 2020 (including possible TER connections in France) are fully refundable or exchangeable free of charge through their original point of sale. 

Please note: if you cancel online, our system will automatically apply the normal refund conditions of your ticket. If the conditions of your ticket do not provide a full refund, please contact us on +32 2 801 90 10 for a full refund due to the corona virus (for tickets purchased from SNCB).

Containment measures in France:
From Tuesday 17 March, movements in France will be prohibited, except in certain specific cases and on presentation of a certificate. More information can be found at www.gouvernement.fr/info-coronavirus.

Assistance for people with reduced mobility on the French network will be suspended by SNCF from 18 March 2020 for the duration of phase 3 in France. It is therefore no longer possible to book assistance in Belgium for travel to France.

From Friday the 20th of March the IC Netherlands will drive every hour between Antwerp Central and Rotterdam Central (also calling at Noorderkempen and Breda). You can travel by domestic trains between Brussels and Antwerp and between Rotterdam and Amsterdam.

Check the adapted schedule between Antwerp and Rotterdam (PDF) >

Tickets for the IC Netherlands for travel until 30 April 2020 are fully refundable until the initially scheduled travel date at their original point of sale.

Please note: if you cancel online, our system will automatically apply the normal refund conditions of your ticket. If the fare conditions of your ticket do not provide a full refund, please contact us on +32 2 801 90 10 for a full refund following the corona virus (for tickets purchased from SNCB).

As from Tuesday 24 March, ICE services connecting Belgium and Germany will be limited to 2 trains a day in each direction.

From Belgium to Germany

• ICE 17: Bruxelles-Midi 14:25 - Frankfurt Hbf 17:22
  
• ICE 19: Bruxelles-Midi 18:25 - Frankfurt Hbf 21:31 (will terminate in Köln Hbf as from 1 April, except on Fridays, when it will continue to Frankfurt)
  

From Germany to Belgium

• ICE 16: Frankfurt Hbf 10:29 - Bruxelles-Midi 13:35
• ICE 14: Frankfurt Hbf 14:29 - Bruxelles-Midi 17:35
  

ICE tickets (and connections in Germany) for journeys from 9 March until 30 April 2020 are fully refundable until the initially scheduled travel date from their original point of sale.

Please note: if you cancel online, our system will automatically apply the normal refund conditions of your ticket. If the fare conditions of your ticket do not provide a full refund, please contact us on +32 2 801 90 10 for a full refund following the corona virus (for tickets purchased from SNCB).

Nightjet services from and to Belgium are interrupted until Thursday 25 June (arrival Friday 26 June) included.

Nightjet tickets for travel until 26 June are fully refundable at their original point of sale.

Please note: if you cancel online, our system will automatically apply the normal refund conditions of your ticket. If the fare conditions of your ticket do not provide a full refund, please contact us on +32 2 801 90 10 for a full refund following the corona virus (for tickets purchased from SNCB).

As from Saturday 21 March, no Intercity trains are operating between Belgium and northern France (Lille, Maubeuge or Aulnoye) until further notice.

Tickets for travel until 30 April 2020 are fully refundable at their original point of sale.

Please note: if you cancel online, our system will automatically apply the normal refund conditions of your ticket. If the fare conditions of your ticket do not provide a full refund, please contact us on +32 2 801 90 10 for a full refund following the corona virus (for tickets purchased from SNCB).

Containment measures in France:
From Tuesday 17 March, movements in France will be prohibited, except in certain specific cases and on presentation of a certificate. More information can be found at www.gouvernement.fr/info-coronavirus.

Assistance for people with reduced mobility on the French network will be suspended by SNCF from 18 March 2020 for the duration of phase 3 in France. It is therefore no longer possible to book assistance in Belgium for travel to France.

Adapted train offer between Belgium and Luxembourg. Please consult the real time timetable via the SNCB app or via the SNCB route planner.

Tickets for journeys to and from Luxembourg until 30 April 2020 can be fully reimbursed until the initially scheduled travel date via their original point of sale.

Please note: if you cancel online, our system will automatically apply the normal refund conditions of your ticket. If the fare conditions of your ticket do not provide a full refund, please contact us on +32 2 801 90 10 for a full refund following the corona virus (for tickets purchased from SNCB).

Assistance for people with reduced mobility on the Luxembourg network has been suspended by CFL for the duration of the pandemia in Luxembourg. It is therefore no longer possible to book assistance for travel to or from Luxembourg.

The S43 trains on the Hasselt-Liège-Maastricht connection are not operating between Visé and Maastricht.

Please consult the real time timetable via the SNCB app or via the SNCB route planner.

Tickets for cross-border journeys between Belgium and Roosendaal or Maastricht until 30 April 2020 can be fully reimbursed via their original point of sale.

Please note: if you cancel online, our system will automatically apply the normal refund conditions of your ticket. If the fare conditions of your ticket do not provide a full refund, please contact us on +32 2 801 90 10 for a full refund following the corona virus (for tickets purchased from SNCB).

Please consult the real time timetable via the SNCB app or via the SNCB route planner.

Tickets for journeys between Belgium and Aken until 30 April 2020 can be fully reimbursed via their original point of sale.

Please note: if you cancel online, our system will automatically apply the normal refund conditions of your ticket. If the fare conditions of your ticket do not provide a full refund, please contact us on +32 2 801 90 10 for a full refund following the corona virus (for tickets purchased from SNCB).