Travel between two of Europe’s most popular cities has never been easier, thanks to a new low-cost train service.
Train operator Ougio will offer daily services between Paris and Brussels, providing a budget-friendly alternative to the Eurostar. However, there’s a catch – it’ll take twice as long.
The service will launch on December 19, operated under the French train company SNCF. Unlike the Eurostar, which takes just one hour and 27 minutes, the Ouigo service will take three hours.
There will be three daily return journeys between Paris Gare du Nord and Bruxelles Midi.
Tickets cost between €10 (£8.30) and €59 (£49) for a single journey for adults, while children’s tickets will be capped at €8 (£6.60).
In contrast, the same journey on the Eurostar can cost up to £100 for a one-way ticket via Trainline.
Ticket reservations can be made up to six months in advance and are already available to book via the SNCF Ouigo website and the Trainline app.
Passengers can book tickets for journeys up to March 31, 2025.
SNCF and SNCB, the national railway company of Belgium, highlight that the service is not only more affordable for passengers but also greener, with a significantly lower carbon footprint than travelling by car.
Olivier Piron, director of international partnerships at SNCB, told Le Figaro: ‘The carbon footprint of a passenger on board one of our new trains between Brussels and Paris will be seven times less than that of a passenger making the same journey by road [in a combustion car].’
Source – MSN (Story by Jessica Hamilton)