Date: 24.04.2024
Train number: 9223
Starting station: Bruxelles Midi
Final station: Amsterdam Centraal
Number of stops: 12
Maximum delay: +5 minutes
Train type: NS 186 + ICRm-coaches
Operator: Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS)
Vmax. train: 160 km/h
Vmax. railway: 300 km/h
Scheduled travel time: 02:47 h
Actual travel time: 02:49 h
Welcome to my first journey by a dutch train!
It´s a train of the international Intercity-connection from Brussel to Amsterdam. Currently there are still in service TRAXX-locomotives with partially more than 40 year old ICRm-coaches, but they are going to be replaced by new ICNG-EMUs in 2025. These can reach a speed of 200 km/h instead of 160 km/h. Because these Intercity trains have to change the direction of travel in Breda within a short period of time, the have a locomotive both at the head and the end of the train.
From Brussel the train shortly runs on the railway towards Leuven, but then branches of onto the airport loop, in order to call at the airport of Brussel, before heading towards Antwerpen. Behind Antwerpen the HSL 4 begins, which is the belgian part of the high speed railway from Antwerpen to Schiphol. There is the only high speed rail station in Belgium, which is Noorderkempen (or "Norrrrrderrrrrkempen" as the conductor called it). This is the last stop of the IC before crossing the border into the Netherlands. The dutch part of the high speed railway is named "HSL Zuid" and is probably the most futuristic looking high speed railway on the planet. But unfortunately the appearance is not everything: between Rotterdam and Schiphol bridges were measured incorrectly during construction, whereby the speed has been limited down to 80 km/h on some parts since June 2023. The IC 9223 almost runs on the full HSL Zuid, just at the beginning it branches off to Breda temporarily.
Time indication:
0:00:29 Bruxelles Midi
0:06:24 Bruxelles Central
0:09:54 Bruxelles Nord
0:11:54 --- Schaarbeek
0:20:15 Brussel Airport - Zaventem
0:32:01 Mechelen
0:44:36 Antwerpen-Berchem
0:49:20 Antwerpen Centraal
1:02:48 Noorderkempen
1:10:02 --- Grenze Belgien/Niederlande
1:20:10 Breda
1:45:28 Rotterdam Centraal
2:14:06 Schiphol Airport
2:29:18 Amsterdam Centraal
Have a nice trip!