Impact of Brussels airport being closed for months

[Taunton]

Belgian press reports that Brussels airport will be closed/part closed for up to 9 months

http://www.lalibre.be/economie/actu...me-9-mois-au-minimum-56ff64d935708ea2d4227ad0

What impact is this having on Eurostar passenger loads; Brussels was the only Belgian airport with plane flights to Britain. Have Eurostar fares London to Brussels skyrocketed? What impact on London to Lille (all on Brussels trains) fares

 

[OwlMan]

Belgian press reports that Brussels airport will be closed/part closed for up to 9 months

http://www.lalibre.be/economie/actu...me-9-mois-au-minimum-56ff64d935708ea2d4227ad0

What impact is this having on Eurostar passenger loads; Brussels was the only Belgian airport with plane flights to Britain. Have Eurostar fares London to Brussels skyrocketed? What impact on London to Lille (all on Brussels trains) fares

no doubt use will still be made of Ostend, Charlroi, Liege and Lille airports (as they have been) until there is room at Brussels.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

What impact is this having on Eurostar passenger loads; Brussels was the only Belgian airport with plane flights to Britain. Have Eurostar fares London to Brussels skyrocketed? What impact on London to Lille (all on Brussels trains) fares

Ryanair go to Brussels South (Charleroi) from Manchester, Bristol and Edinburgh.
Very convenient for Brussels and Wollonia generally.
Not going to affect Eurostar though, which should pick up a lot of London business traffic.
BA are going to Liege instead of Zaventem.
Other airlines are using Ostend or Lille.
Good rail connections to Brussels from all these.

 

[WestCoast]

On Tuesday I travelled on the Eurostar on the 19:56 departure from Brussels Midi/Zuid to London St Pancras. I'd estimate the load on departure from Brussels in Standard Class to be around 50% - 60% in the rear section of the train. The situation was a little tense in Brussels, army personnel were guarding all the central Train, Metro and Premetro stations, with the rest closed. There were private security guards searching people entering the central shopping centres and checking bags.

Still the army didn't seem to concern the pickpockets that hang around Midi as I was bothered by two of them with their "speak English?" rubbish.

 

[Busaholic]

Brussels Airport reopening tomorrow, but with 3 flights OUT only, to Faro, Turin and ? Passengers must arrive by car, though taxis count, which go through a security screening before getting anywhere near the terminal.

 

[Groningen]

For the Benelux train from Brussel to Amsterdam and v.v. this is good news, because it now can travel directly from Antwerpen and Mechelen to Brussel (it stopped at the airport). But i do not know whether the arrivaltime in Brussel is earlier or the same which means that it will somewhere like Schaarbeek. That Benelux trains is around 35 (repeat 35) minutes slower than 10 years ago. What a progress!

 

[johnnychips]

None of the other four Belgian airports (Liege, Antwerp, Oostende and Charleroi) have a station, so I suspect there will be many coaches.

 

[Quakkerillo]

For the Benelux train from Brussel to Amsterdam and v.v. this is good news, because it now can travel directly from Antwerpen and Mechelen to Brussel (it stopped at the airport). But i do not know whether the arrivaltime in Brussel is earlier or the same which means that it will somewhere like Schaarbeek. That Benelux trains is around 35 (repeat 35) minutes slower than 10 years ago. What a progress!

It runs via the direct old route, though at lower speeds than possible, in order not to run too early. It then just sits waiting for its right timeslot at Mechelen/Brussels North

 

[Groningen]

Mechelen - Brussel Noord was 10 years ago 13 minutes; now this Benelux train does it in 27.