Eurostar passengers face new delays at Brussels-Midi today. By Iuliia Tore / Sep 15, 2026 / 2 minutes of reading Table of Contents Eurostar passengers traveling through Brussels-Midi face a new round of disruption today, September 15, after the operator warned of delays caused by operational restrictions at the Belgian capital's main international station. The fresh alert comes on top of a separate warning that some Eurostar services using the French rail network could run up to 30 minutes late between September 14 and 20 because of engineering works. Individual services between Brussels, Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Germany are also showing cancellations or cancelled stops in Eurostar's current timetable. READ MORE: Brussels-Midi restrictions delay trains. Eurostar says operational restrictions at Brussels-Midi/Zuid are causing delays on September 15. The company has not published a single network-wide delay figure because individual trains are affected differently. Passengers should check their exact train number before leaving for the station. Some Netherlands services are cancelled. Eurostar's live timetable shows several disruptions on routes linking Brussels with the Netherlands. Train ER 9415 from Brussels to Amsterdam was listed as cancelled, while some other services were showing cancelled stops or delays. Separate disruptions were also visible on Rotterdam and Schiphol Airport services. Germany services also affected. Some Eurostar services from Brussels toward Germany are also showing cancelled stops. Passengers traveling to cities such as Aachen, Cologne or Essen should check the latest train-specific information because disruption can vary throughout the day. French engineering work continues through September 20. The Brussels issue is separate from planned engineering disruption in France. Eurostar says some trains between September 14 and 20 could experience delays of up to 30 minutes because of track works and resulting operational constraints. The company is asking passengers to remain on the platform at the time printed on their ticket even if delays are anticipated. Connections need extra time. Passengers making onward connections in Brussels, Paris, Amsterdam or other cities should allow additional time. Eurostar says station and onboard teams will assist when disruption leads to missed connections. However, travelers with independently booked onward trains or flights may have less protection than passengers traveling under a single protected itinerary. Check exact train status before departure. Eurostar's disruption page and timetable are being updated as operating conditions change. Passengers should therefore check their exact train shortly before departure rather than assuming every Brussels service is delayed or cancelled. Iuliia is the editor-in-chief and oversees all editorial content.She was born and raised in Kharkiv, Ukraine. Iuliia is passionate about all aspects of travel and tourism and holds a Master's degree in International Tourism Management.Iuliia Tore lives for two houses in Kharkiv and in Valencia, Spain, and loves spending time outdoors. Work aside, she has a passion for travel, painting, arts, food, and culture.

Virgin's new international trains could cut emissions, fares - and fuel its loyalty program. Today at 7:18 AM PDT Skift take. Increased competition on the track connecting the UK and continental Europe could be a win for the environment if it pulls travelers off planes, but prices need to be lower. Virgin has another incentive in mind: loyalty points. Virgin has cleared a key regulatory hurdle in its plan to challenge Eurostar's monopoly on Channel Tunnel rail service - a move that could also boost decarbonization efforts by shifting some travelers from planes to trains. UK rail regulator the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has granted Virgin track access rights to operate Channel Tunnel services between the UK and mainland Europe. If it finalizes a deal with the Channel Tunnel owner and secures regulatory approvals from French authorities, it would be only the second passenger train operator to run the route, which has been entirely dominated by Eurostar since it opened in 1994. The company, which owns Virgin Hotels Collection and Virgin Atlantic, is hoping its Virgin Red loyalty ecosystem will be a driver to get passengers into trains. The European Union sees a shift from air to rail travel as playing a role in reaching its target of lowering greenhouse gas emissions from transport by 90%

French rail start-up wins licence to compete on high-speed lines. AFP - [email protected] Published: 1 Sep, 2026 CET. Updated: Tue 1 Sep 2026 10:00 CET A French train start-up says that it has won an initial licence to operate on high-speed lines dominated by state-owned SNCF, the latest effort to open up France's rail market to competition. Velvet, launched by a former SNCF executive, aims to run next-generation TGV trains on four routes in western France serving Paris, Bordeaux, Nantes and Angers starting in 2028. It has obtained a first approval from the French transport ministry, and now needs a safety certification from the network regulator. The French passenger rail market was opened to competition in 2020 as part of EU market liberalisation efforts, but SNCF remains the main service despite a spate of new entrants. "This licence is an important step: It allows us to advance the preparation of our trains, our teams and our processes," Velvet's president Rachel Picard said in a statement. Picard raised one billion euros for a French investment fund, mainly to purchase 12 Avelia Horizons trains from Alstom - the same trains SNCF plans to roll out over the coming months. Other companies vying to compete in France include the start-up Le Train, Spain's state-controlled Renfe and Italy's Trenitalia, which also plans to compete with Eurostar for Paris-London service.