Transport: New rail link to Brussels Airport shows impact of EU TEN-T financing
07/06/2012
A new rail link connecting the Brussels Airport with the high-speed rail network to Paris/Amsterdam/London/Köln will be inaugurated tomorrow. The new link will allow high-speed trains to stop at the airport on their way to Brussels or Antwerp, giving passengers more flexibility in their travel choices and improving connections between rail and air transport. The project – called Diabolo – has so far received almost €9.7 million in trans-European transport network (TEN-T) co-financing.
Siim Kallas, European Commission Vice-President in charge of transport, noted: “I am delighted that this important project is becoming operational. It proves that the EU financial support to transport infrastructure generates further investment and employment and gives substantial benefits to citizens. With this new link we have created a more efficient intermodal hub at Brussels Airport.”
The project involves completing a rail section linking Brussels Airport with the existing Brussels–Antwerp–Amsterdam and Paris–Brussels–Köln–Amsterdam–London high-speed rail networks, also known as TEN-T Priority Project 2.
The airport used to be only accessible by a dead-end railway station served by local and regional trains, or by a very busy road. The completion of the rail link to Brussels Airport further enhances Europe's network of high-speed railway lines and the creation of an interoperable and continuous rail network. It will also help reduce the isolation of the airport by improving accessibility and reducing congestion.
The European Commission and the TEN-T Executive Agency, which have followed the project from start to finish, welcome tomorrow’s inauguration as a key step in the advancement of European high speed railways and European mobility as a whole.
More information:
Transport: New rail link to Brussels Airport shows impact of EU TEN-T financing [IP/12/568]
http://tentea.ec.europa.eu/en/ten-t_projects/ten-t_projects_by_country/belgium/2007-be-02030-p.htm
or e-mail: TENEA-COMMUNICATION@ec.europa.eu
Contacts :
Helen Kearns (+32 2 298 76 38)
Dale Kidd (+32 2 295 74 61)
