I'm just re-publishing this For Your Information because it is a frequent route on many Helpline itineraries. It is just left here to help fellow Helpliners and warn those considering rail passes covering Belgium and Netherlands! Starting Dec. 9th, 2012, the Benelux IC trains between Bruxelles-Midi and Amsterdam Centraal, which take 3h4min and do not require or even allow seat reservations, will be withdrawn permanently. They will be replaced by the new FYRA high-speed service, which will take just 1h49min to complete the route, but do require reservations and have widely variable pricing like Thalys, its competitor. Minimum fares are 25 euros, maximum fares 81 euros (2nd class) So if your route includes the popular "Belgium stopover" between France or London and Amsterdam, do not count on a hop-on, fixed price train anymore! Actually, it will still be possible to travel without the high-speed trains, but it will take 3h45 and require 2 changes and a regional cross-border train that is very slow and likely to be cramped. So be you all warned on these changes, which come for the good (faster travel) but can put a small dent on your travel budget if you are travelling with a family etc.
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