The so-called Coastal Express will run from Saturday. These are direct trains to Ostend, De Panne, Knokke and Blankenberge for which you must reserve a seat.
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During the weekends during the summer holidays there will be 20 trips every day (ten towards the coast in the morning and ten in the other direction at night). Trains will then run between Liège-Guillemins and Ostend, between Ghent-Sint-Pieters and Blankenberge, between Antwerp-Central and Blankenberge, and between Brussels-South and Ostend, De Panne and Knokke. On weekdays, only reservation trains run between Brussels-South and Ostend (two there and two back).
1 euro reservatiekost
The cost is 1 euro per ride on top of the normal ticket price. The reservation cost must also be paid for children younger than 12, who are normally allowed on the train for free if accompanied by an adult. The reservations are closed fifteen minutes before the departure of the train. In addition, people who are less mobile will also be able to request assistance according to the usual procedure, and bicycles will also be allowed on the train. However, no separate wagon is provided for this, so the place for the two-wheeler is not guaranteed.
The Coastal Express was tested for the first time at the beginning of June. On Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 June, the NMBS then for the first time operated ten direct Coastal Express trains between four inland cities and coastal stations Blankenberge, De Panne, Knokke and Ostend. The aim was to find out how travel traffic to and from the coast could be better organised.
No intermediate stops
With the Coastal Express trains, travelers are sure of a place and they are also faster at the sea, because there are no intermediate stops. For the route between Brussels and De Panne, for example, this means a time gain of 54 minutes.
An evaluation will follow at the end of the summer to see whether the “Coast-Express” will be continued.
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