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Belgian Rail 10-Journey Ticket

Posted by on

On my last day of travel in Belgium, I will be leaving Bruges for Rotterdam. I may or may not be making a stop in the town of Kalmthout to visit the Kalmthout Arboretum. Either way, this will be my 10th and final trip using the ticket.

Would I be able to use my tenth journey ticket to travel to the city of Roosendaal, Netherlands (using a standard Roosendaal ticket) from either Bruges or Kalmthout and then purchase a Netherlands Rail ticket for the remaining portion of my trip to Rotterdam from Roosendaal? In the terms of use for the 10-journey ticket it says that the ticket is good for journeys between two Belgian stations/stops, not including border stations. If I will be unable to use my tenth trip for the journey to Roosendaal, can I use the closest town to the border (Essen) as my destination and then buy another ticket for the trip from Essen to Rotterdam?

And finally, is there a ticket counter at the Brussels National Airport where I can purchase the 10-journey ticket?

Posted by
7936 posts

I have used a Belgium 10-trip ticket to travel to Lille, France from Antwerp, and back. AFAIR, I found the NMBS website clear enough that the "last Belgian station" (note technical term ... LBS ) on that line is Mouscron. So before I boarded the first (of three !!!) trains in Antwerp, I bought an international round-trip ticket from Mouscron to Lille. It was no bargain, but it is what it is.

I suggest that you go to the live agent in Bruges (not, I think, on a direct line to the Netherlands) after waiting in line, and ask what the LBS on your route is, and buy a one-way international ticket as needed. In my opinion, it should then not be necessary to get off a train that doesn't require a change at the LBS. You just present the second ticket to the conductor when he asks for it. In the event the agent doesn't speak good English, which can happen, I think if you show the 10-trip ticket and a notepad with Roosendaal, NL written on it, he will get the idea and tell you what you need to know.

Inherent in this reply is that Mouscron is not a "border" station, it's the Last Belgian Station. I would also urge you to use the NMBS website to "plan" a one-ticket, cash journey from Bruges to Rotterdam, and make note of the train changes necessary, and the time of the NEXT train in each case, in case your train is late. You can also use this information to zoom in on Google Maps and maybe learn the likely LBS so that you will recognize the word when the agent answers you.

I bought my 10-trip at Berchem/Antwerp, so I don't know about BRU. I suggest you check about whether the airport has any special status. I'm referring to the fact that a (printed out) ticket from Brussels is not valid from BRU. Sorry if that makes you nervous, but I just don't know that detail. I mean like Heathrow Express is not a regular train ticket ...

Posted by
3 posts

I don't think it is possible to reach Roosendaal with the Belgium 10-journey ticket. I think you will need to go from either Kalmthout or Brugge to Essen and from that station you will need to purchase a ticket to Roosendaal or Rotterdam.
At Brussels airport they won't sell the tickets, you will have to go to Brussels central station (midi).

Posted by
12040 posts

I don't think it is possible to reach Roosendaal with the Belgium 10-journey ticket. It is. There's a commuter line on NMBS (Belgian rail) that runs from Antwerp to Roosendaal, but you would need to exchange trains to continue further into the Netherlands.

You can buy the 10 trip carnett at any Belgian station at the ticket counter, including the airport.

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