Delays Aachen - Brussels (Allgemeines Forum)

HSL3, Mittwoch, 12.01.2011, 12:37 (vor 5607 Tagen) @ Steffen

I am sorry for writing in English.

I commute from Aachen to Brussels Monday to Friday on the Thalys (07:23 - 08:32) and return on the ICE (18:25 - 19:36). I currently average about 200 mins of delays a week.

Until recently, the morning Thalys was always the problem arriving in Brussels between 15 and 30 minutes late every day (on a journey which is already 1hr10 minutes). The average delay is 16 minutes, runs about 1 hour late once or twice a month and arrives on time (+ 5 minutes) only about once month. This is almost always because of traffic congestion between Liege and Brussels.

Before December, the ICE departing Brussels Midi 18:25 used to operate reasonably on time (arriving 5 minutes late every day in Aachen), with a maximum of one or two serious delays a week. It very rarely ran over the old line via Welkenraedt.

However, for the past six or so weeks since the introduction of the new timetable, the ICE between Brussels and Germany has also become a total disaster. Almost every train has at least 20 minutes delay and travels via Welkenraedt on the old line.

It usually leaves Liege on time (or at the very most 5 minutes late if the IC before it train from Ostend to Eupen is late) but it then takes the old Welkenraedt line every second day, if not more.

At the same time, the Thalys before/after is using the new high speed line so the problem can only be with the ICE train and not with track.

The schedule was already difficult when there were 3x daily ICEs between Brussels and Germany with constantly late trains. Under these circumstances, how can DB have introduced a fourth daily train with the limited available rolling stock.

www.trainsenretards.be keeps records of trains more than 15 minutes late within the Belgian system.