EUROSTAR is set to make a major change in a few weeks’ time, as travellers will need to purchase more tickets to get to a popular winter holiday destination.
The rail operator currently offers a popular ticket type called the Any Belgian Station ticket.
This allows passengers travelling from the UK to alight in the capital, at Brussels-Midi/Zuid station, and board their next train to any local station of their choosing – all with one ticket.
But the system is now set to scrapped on March 31 – with customers forced to purchase both their Eurostar ticket, and a separate ticket for their local journey via the national operator, SNCB.
Eurostar insisted the added inconvenience would only last for a “short time”.
Bosses said that once the overhaul is complete, passengers will be able to book the entire journey through Eurostar.
However, the new system will still see customers juggling two tickets – their Eurostar ticket and their SNCB ticket – instead of one.
The change is designed so that passengers travelling internally within Belgium, rather than to or from the UK, can also plan their trips through Eurostar.
A statement posted on the company’s website read: “For a short time, you’ll need to buy tickets for connecting journeys across Belgium from other local rail operators.
“But very soon you will be able to buy connecting tickets at eurostar.com and on our app.
“With this replacement solution, you’ll be able to book your Eurostar and SNCB tickets in one go, directly selecting your origin or destination station in Belgium.
“You’ll then receive your SNCB ticket to connect in Brussels, Liège or Antwerp.
“We’re making this change so we can offer connecting journeys to passengers on all our routes and not just those travelling between Belgium and the UK.”
It added that those who have already purchased an Any Belgian Station ticket for after March 31 will still be able to use it until June 14.
The overhaul came at the request of SNCB, according to Business Traveller – and is hoped to offer “a clearer and more transparent travel option”.
Over the last few years, Eurostar has also scrapped various other routes.
In 2020, the operator ditched trains to Marseille and Avignon.
This means passengers only have two places to alight in France – Paris and Lille.
Two years previously, it had also got rid of a third French destination – Lyon.
Belgium is a popular destination for city breakers, with culture-rich hubs including Brussels, Bruges and Antwerp.
It also has lesser-known gems such as Spa, in eastern Belgium – home to the world’s oldest casino.
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