Is a train ticket from X → Brussels Airport also valid from X → Brussels Midi?
I recently bought a ticket from Mol in Belgium to Brussels. Since I was not sure if I would be going straight to the airport or to the city, and since the airport ticket was described on the website as a ticket to Brussels + surcharge ("Diabolo"), I figured a ticket to the airport would cover me either way.. but now I am less sure. Anyone here have an idea what the rules are and how strictly they're enforced?
Worst case scenario, I realize I can travel to airport and then bus/train to city, but that adds an hour and I do not have much time in Brussels.
Best Answer
- The official rule is that you can not interrupt your journey with a regular ticket. To do this you need a "Via" ticket. Source (click on "Can I break my journey?")
- You can take either the shortest or the fastest way or a longer way that allows you to do it with less changes of train. If you find the journey in the planner on their website, it is certainly fine. As long as you are traveling towards your destination you will be fine. They are not too strict about this. If your journey involves a stop in Brussels (Midi, Central, North...), you are officially not allowed to interrupt your journey there, but it is very hard to verify so you will get away with it.
Now, for your specific journey all options in the planner on the website involve a change in Antwerp, not in Brussels. So you will not get away with visiting Brussels. An alternative would be visiting Antwerp. You will get away with that, even if it is strictly speaking not allow to interrupt your journey there.
A ticket to Brussels-Midi would be one to "Zone Brussels", which includes all stations in Brussels. The airport is not in this zone, because the airport is not located in Brussels proper, but just outside of it.
Finally, you will not find anywhere on the website of the SNCB the ticket described as a ticket to Brussels plus surcharge. You will find it described as a ticket to Brussels Airport-Zaventem, as the airport station is called (formerly Brussel-Nationaal-Luchthaven) including the surcharge.
Pictures about "Is a train ticket from X → Brussels Airport also valid from X → Brussels Midi?"
How do I get from Brussels airport to Brussels Midi?
It takes an average of 24m to travel from Brussels Midi to Brussels-Airport-Zaventem by train, over a distance of around 8 miles (12 km). There are normally 112 trains per day travelling from Brussels Midi to Brussels-Airport-Zaventem and tickets for this journey start from \u20ac11.10 when you book in advance.Is Brussels Central and Brussels Midi the same?
Is Central Station the same as Brussels Midi? Thanks. No, the Central is the one closer to Grand Place. Brussels Midi is also referred to as "Zuid".How do I get from Brussels airport to Brussels Central?
Belgian Railways (NMBS/SNCB) operates a train from Bruxelles-Central to Brussels Airport - Zaventem every 15 minutes. Tickets cost \u20ac8 - \u20ac10 and the journey takes 18 min. Alternatively, STIB operates a bus from Trone to Brussels Airport every 20 minutes. Tickets cost \u20ac3 and the journey takes 37 min.Do you need to buy train tickets in advance in Belgium?
You don't need to purchase your tickets in advance as seat reservations are not available. Your ticket is valid for a single journey (or a return journey, if marked as such), at any time of the day specified on your rail ticket and either in 2nd or 1st class,as you have chosen.Italian Train Ticket | How to Buy and Use Train
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Andrea Piacquadio, D. C. Cavalleri, Skitterphoto, Damir Mijailovic