Is 13 minutes enough time to change platforms in Brussels-Midi after arriving from London?

Question

I'm trying to book travel to Amsterdam from London by train (Eurostar).

I've never travelled cross country via train before, but I've found a fare that has a 13 minute window to change platforms.

I think this is a good ticket to buy, but I'm not sure if 13 minutes is enough time to change platforms. I think it must be, since the ticket is advertised as such, but I have some concerns:

1. I've never been to this country's train station before, so I don't know how large it is. (I am from a small town in Australia, I'm sure this station is nothing like I've ever seen before)
2. If the station will be busy (this will be a Saturday in July)
3. I am travelling with a friend and we will both have suitcases with us
4. If there is any customs stuff we have to do on exiting the train (we are travelling to Amsterdam from London, but Australian citizens)
5. If a platform change is normally this short (the second shortest platform change for this day is 40 minutes)

Would anyone know if this is a suitable time for a platform change, given my circumstances, or if I should pick a different train with a larger buffer?

Answer 1

As others have already explained, this connection is generally doable and you should be taken care of by the train company if anything goes wrong. Eurostar trains depart from their own corner of the station and you won't see much of it. Before addressing your specific questions, here are two websites with useful info: official Eurostar website, seat61.

I've never been to this country's train station before, so I don't know how large it is. (I am from a small town in Australia, I'm sure this station is nothing like I've ever seen before)

It is quite large, not among the busiest in Europe but it still has 12 platforms, a small shopping mall and a food court, all under the platforms themselves but it doesn't really matter as you should not have to venture out to the main corridor or the rest of the station.

If the station will be busy (this will be a Saturday in July)

Probably not, it sees a lot of commuter traffic, week-ends are a lot less busy. Wikipedia tells me the number of passengers recorded on weekend days is half that of weekdays.

I am travelling with a friend and we will both have suitcases with us

You will probably need to go downstairs and then back up on another platform so it's best if you are able to carry your luggage up and down a staircase or escalator. There are also elevators but it can take a little time to locate them and wait for them to be free.

Recently, I have also seen Eurostar trains from London alight on track 3 (instead of 1-2), making a connection on the same platform with other trains on track 4 possible.

If there is any customs stuff we have to do on exiting the train (we are travelling to Amsterdam from London, but Australian citizens)

There are no customs or immigration formalities on arrival as you will be checked by the French – not Belgian – police before leaving London. The website mention a potential security check but it was very cursory or inexistant the last times I was there. Do have your tickets ready (in whatever form, QR code on the phone works fine).

If a platform change is normally this short (the second shortest platform change for this day is 40 minutes)

Yes, it depends a bit on the operator and the station but changing trains in 10-15 minutes is quite common in Europe.

Answer 2

Provided you buy it in a single booking (like you showed) you're insured in case a delay causes you to miss the connection.

Once you get off the train in Brussels, take an escalator/lift downstairs, then check the departure board for the track number for the 13:22 Amsterdam train, and simply head to that track.

If the train is estimated to be delayed, speak to onboard staff about 15-20 minutes before arrival in Brussels and ask for advice about the connection. At worst, they or the Eurostar office in Brussels will re-book you free of charge.

If this happens, you'll also be legally due a 25% or 50% refund, which you apply for on the Eurostar website the day after the trip.

Answer 3

Having changed out of the Eurostar to the non-reservation train to Amsterdam I noticed that the most difficult point is to get off the platform your train arrives on.

If you can get a seat reserved in the most forward section of the train and be ready near the door when the train arrives. If you can not get those seats you can move yourselves and your luggage through the train to be near the front on arrival.

If in the right part of the train 10 minutes should be plenty. If at the other end of the train getting to the other platform will likely be possible but not guaranteed, walking as fast as possible and taking the stairs might be needed.

In case of delays, talk with the train guard or with one the people who introduced themselves as your hosts for ride, as they can stamp your ticket and tell you whether you need to report to anybody before you can enter the next train, which may be important if the time to go there is short.

Answer 4

From https://www.eurostar.com/us-en/travel-info/your-trip/stations/brussels-midi#Connections-in-Brussels

Changing in Brussels when arriving from the UK
Take the exit on the Eurostar platform and go down to the main part of the station.
Check the departures board for your connecting train – Eurostar trains (except those to and from London) and ICE trains usually leave from platforms 3,4, 5 and 6.
If you’re travelling to the Netherlands or Germany, there may be security checks for Eurostar and ICE trains leaving Brussels-Midi/Zuid station. Your ticket, ID and luggage could be checked before you’re able to go to the platform.
Head to the platform and hop on board when your train arrives.

The good news here is that you don't have to walk very far. I think the London trains arrive on platform 1/2 and you'll depart from 3/4 or 5/6.

If everything is on time, you should be able to make this comfortably. Of course, if there are delays you may have to improvise a bit. If you miss the connection (by no fault of your own) you can take a lot of alternative trains. See https://www.eurostar.com/us-en/travel-info/connecting-train#Missed-Connection for the full procedure. Noteworthy here is

1. Speak to a member of staff on your delayed train or at the connecting station. They will give you a form to prove that you missed your train because of disruption.

2. Show your form to ticket office staff at your connecting station. They will advise you which train you can catch as an alternative and give you a replacement ticket for travel at no extra cost.

In this case you may be entitle to compensation. Rules are at https://www.eurostar.com/us-en/travel-info/service-information/claiming-compensation#Train-delayed

Answer 5

If the station will be busy (this will be a Saturday in July)

The station will be fine. But there can be another problem during busy times. Many people travel internationally by (high speed) train in (western) Europe in summer, and some international connections have mandatory seat reservations even in countries where domestic trains do not.

If you miss the connection, you can take the next train. But:

• If you travel late during the day, there might not be a next train. You should get your hotel costs reimbursed, but you'd probably prefer to spend that night at your destination. Does not apply to your posted itinerary, as you travel early during the day.
• If you travel during a busy season, the next train might be fully booked, such that either you have to stand/sit in the corridor/on the floor, or (in case of mandatory reservations) cannot enter at all. This does apply to your travel on a Saturday in July, but between Brussels and Amsterdam there are frequent non-reservation connections (slower than Eurostar).
• Customer service might be poor, unavailable, or so busy that you don't only miss your next train, but also the next next train. I have no experience with Eurostar customer service in Brussels.
• The next train might be fully booked in your travel class, and have availability in a higher travel class. You might or might not get reimbursed for booking the higher travel class if your travel class is only available six hours later (and you might or might not get a good answer from customer service on this question).

In conclusion: your rights are important, but I would still recommend considering the other consequences of missing your connection. Check what alternatives exist, if you could take those without a reservation, how quickly they sell out, if arriving so much later would be acceptable for you, etc.

London via Brussels to Amsterdam is probably fine. There are frequent non-Eurostar alternatives that don't need a reservation and thus never sell out (but they take longer and you might not find a seat if they're very busy), although I'm not sure if the Eurostar ticket is valid (if it's not, you should be able to get ticket costs reimbursed if customer service did not provide you with a solution).

But if you were travelling to Copenhagen with a 15-minute change in Hamburg, I would not recommend it at all, as the risk of missing the connection is high (German trains are often late), the risk of the trains being full is high, and there are no alternatives that don't need reservations. It's also not very relaxing to be constantly worried about train delays.

Answer 6

1. I'm sure this station is ...

absolutely, it's large. you'll see many large stations in London though. London is overwhelming in stations and tunnels but everything is really well-documented, so you'll have some practice.

If the station will be busy (this will be a Saturday in July) always, plan for it to be full. but also be aware that people will give space and you'll be fine for that reason. easier than London, since London as a whole is simply too busy a machine to accomodate someone walking a different pace. Brussels has many influences and you'll be able to cross the station in peace.

I am travelling with a friend and we will both have suitcases with us

don't worry about luggage, the stairs are in good shape and the floors also. the station build is pretty much like an airport, but made of flat stone. you can - if you wish so - run through the hallways with your suitcase behind you and could even fly down the stairs without much risk (but please don't). Only take to elevators if they are already at your level and there's no queue larger than what goes through the door. you can lose insane amount of time just to get on an a piss-stenched elevator. In London that might work but in Brussels you definitely will also just have a lot of people too stupid to get the door to close etc. You might have to lift it up onto the train though. They have a lot of double-decker trains with steps to enter them and they generally don't have elevated platforms.

If a platform change is normally this short yes, for a large station like that 5 minutes is tight but still doable. Knowing the station but not the platforms, I'd say you need 10 minutes for safe changeover and have 3 minutes spare. For myself I have like 8 minutes as OK and anything under is a bit in the red.

what I'd like to pass on since it wasn't said. Maybe I'm just the negative guy but I found Brussels a special case calling for a different attitude:

I travel a lot, but found announcements in Brussels are generally confusing. It would be highly helpful once you're on your platform to try find someone you can ask "is this my train?". Sometimes I've had it that suburban train goes to my long-haul station and drops off people and then goes on, all while mine is on the display for later. Or mine arrives 20 mins before depature - and threre's no annoucement, some people enter, the tourist still stand outside confused. There's also no guarantee that there will be an announcement in english before departure just because there was one 10 minutes ago. (grrrr) so really, try to check with people on the platform. a lot only speak french but usually there's someone.

Another thing to know is: there are MANY connections from Brussels, sometimes 3 to the same place within a few minutes. So be sure to be able to identify your train by the final and next destinations. Some even have non-national destinations you'll not be able to just guess. Check online which platform it's gonna depart from, check a station map to know where you'll arrive and where the other platform is. check the platform on every screen that lists your train and especially before you go down to the platform. There's usually a display on the hub floor right next to the staircase.

After going through Midi and Centraal around 20 times without speaking the language and usually in a rush, at times doing the 30 minute run to the Chocolatiers district and picking up chocolate between trains, getting lost between the many side entrances to the platforms, my real advice is: In Brussels, just be resilient and if it happens, let it happen.