Currently, there is an hourly train from Belgium between Liège and Maastricht. From the Netherlands, starting this year, there are two trains per hour between Maastricht and Germany: one to Aachen and one to Herzogenrath. The three-country train will connect these two routes, eliminating the need to change trains in Maastricht.
This makes it easier for residents to travel by train for work, school, family visits, or recreation. Within the Euregio region of Liège-Maastricht-Aachen, there are many daily traffic flows. Better connections can further stimulate economic growth in the region.
The operators NMBS, NS, and Arriva have indicated that it is possible to run the train now that financial, technical, and capacity agreements have been reached.
State Secretary Vivianne Heijnen of Infrastructure and Water Management, Belgian Mobility Minister Georges Gilkinet, and Limburg's deputy Maarten van Gaans-Gijbels for Mobility and Infrastructure signed a letter of intent about this on Monday.
Deputy Maarten van Gaans-Gijbels is pleased that after many years of discussion, signatures have finally been added: “The Province of Limburg already laid the foundation in 2016 to break down borders by prescribing in the concession that trains can also run in neighboring countries.”
Thanks to the three-country train, you can travel from the Netherlands to Liège and Aachen without changing trains. At both stations, you can catch a high-speed train, making cities like Cologne, Frankfurt, Berlin, Brussels, London, and Paris much more accessible. In this way, the three-country train also contributes to making train travel a more attractive alternative to short-haul flights.