Extra weekend trains between Kortrijk and Bruges from the end of 2025

At the end of March, the NMBS Board of Directors approved the transport plan for 2023-2026. The railway company wants to drive about seven percent more kilometers by 2026. This equates to more than 2,000 additional trains per week.

No major changes

The emphasis is on additional supply around the major cities and on better connections at weekends. There are no major changes in our province. At the end of 2025, the connection between Bruges and Kortrijk will be reinforced at weekends.

The IC connection between the two cities will run every hour instead of every two hours. As a result, two trains will run every hour, because the IC train between Ostend and Brussels Airport will also continue to pass on the route.

Waiting for green light

Other expansions will not be carried out for the time being, because the capacity is not there. For example, there will be no third IC train per hour between Kortrijk and Ghent, and no second L train per hour between Ghent and Bruges. From December 2023, a P-train will also be killed in West Flanders, because it is rarely used. It concerns the train of 5.28 hours from Kortrijk to Zottegem.

The plans still have to get the green light from the Council of Ministers and the implementation also depends on recruitment and deliveries of material. The deliveries of new trains have been delayed in the past.