Benelux, Mobility

Benelux works towards more seamless cross-border rail transport

24 Jun. 2025

Crossing the border by train? It sounds logical, but in practice it’s often still difficult. That’s why today, transport experts, policymakers, and representatives from Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg gathered in Brussels. They took part in a Benelux workshop. Their goal: to make international train travel simpler, faster, and more customer-friendly.

Cooperation for better connections

The Benelux Union organized the workshop together with ITEM, the expertise center for cross-border cooperation at Maastricht University. The central question: how can we make a train journey from, say, Maastricht to Liège or from Antwerp to Luxembourg just as smooth as a domestic trip?

What can be improved?

The first session addressed the main bottlenecks. Travelers face inconvenient transfers, poor information, and differing national regulations. Marlies Peeters from the European Commission presented a study mapping the missing links in the European railway network. She also showed which European funds member states can use to make improvements. In addition, representatives from the transport ministries of the three countries explained their national railway strategies.

Smarter ticketing

The second session focused on ticketing. Today, those wishing to travel internationally by train often have to buy multiple tickets through different apps or websites. That needs to change. The EasyConnect project demonstrates that things can be done differently. This collaboration between the Netherlands, Belgium, and the German region of North Rhine-Westphalia makes digital and cross-border travel easier. The Luxembourg model was also discussed—public transport there is free. Other countries may find inspiration in that approach.

Looking ahead

During a plenary debate, participants discussed how Benelux and ITEM can contribute to solutions. One conclusion was clear: the Benelux General Secretariat should continue connecting the relevant stakeholders, as is already being done with EasyConnect. More coordination is also needed between the national rail strategies.

Closing message

The day concluded with speeches by Professor Anouk Bollen (ITEM) and Frans Weekers, Secretary-General of the Benelux. The key message: if countries join forces as much as possible, the train can become a fully-fledged and attractive alternative to the car, even across borders.