Deutsche Bahn (DB) has launched a new seasonal direct ICE service linking Cologne with the Belgian coastal city of Ostend, expanding cross-border rail connections between Germany and Belgium.
The new route began operation with the first journey of an ICE 3neo train from Cologne via Brussels to Ostend on Belgium’s North Sea coast. To mark the occasion, DB officially named one of its ICE 3neo trains “Köln” during a ceremony at Cologne Central Station. The train was christened using water from the River Rhine before departing on its inaugural journey to Ostend.
Jens Gräfer, Honorary Consul of the Kingdom of Belgium in Cologne said:Cologne is an important hub for international long-distance traffic towards Belgium and the Netherlands. Its backbone is the ICE 3neo, the flagship of the ICE fleet. So it made sense to name one of the trains after the cathedral city.
Passenger numbers on cross-border ICE services to and from Belgium increased by approximately 18 percent between 2019 and 2025. The new seasonal service is intended to meet growing demand and forms part of an expanded cooperation with Belgium’s national railway operator, SNCB.
The train calls at Aachen, Liège, Leuven, Brussels North, Brussels Midi, Ghent St Pieters and Bruges before reaching Ostend. On Saturdays and Sundays, the service departs Cologne Central Station at 10:08am and arrives in Ostend at 1:47pm. Return services leave Ostend at 2:24pm, arriving back in Cologne at 5:50pm.
The timetable is designed to allow passengers several hours at the Belgian coast before returning on the same day.
The Ostend service represents the ninth daily train pair operating between Germany and Belgium. It will run on weekends from 6 June to 27 June and again from 8 August to 30 August 2026.
The railway operator has also opened bookings for a separate direct service between Cologne and Antwerp. Scheduled to begin on 7 September 2026, the route will operate with two daily train pairs and will serve Aachen, Liège, Leuven and Brussels Airport en route.
