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Train Schiphol-Brussels tomorrow - HELP - First time interrrailer - Cancelled stops/disruption on trainline

  • July 4, 2026
  • 8 replies
  • 75 views

Landing at Schiphol late tomorrow with my 7yo. Was gonna make the last Eurostar train, but they cancelled the stop and I dont think we can make it to Amsterdam Centraal on time. 

Already booked stay in Brussels.

Taking to long to get answers through interrail (or my nerves think so at least).

The late arrival and travelling alone with a young child makes it less flexible. 

I have not been to Netherlands or Belgium since I was a child myself - and have not done enough research for this to happen.

Is there anyone who could give me tips or have thoughts on what would be the best way to travel from Schiphol to Brussels tomorrow around the time 21.00? 

I am afraid to end up with a new train which also is affected by thee disruption and getting stuck somewhere or travelling for hours this late into the night with a small child.

Help, please?

8 replies

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  • Railmaster
  • July 4, 2026

Train traffic around Rotterdam is still disrupted after a fire earlier this week.

You don't need to travel via Amsterdam Centraal. Eurostar is diverted via Utrecht, with an extra stop there for the trains to Brussels/Paris. Your Eurostar will stop in Utrecht Centraal around 21:45. To get there, take the intercity train from Schiphol Airport at 20:59 (destination Driebergen-Zeist), which arrives in Utrecht Centraal at 21:33. The extra Eurostar stop isn't shown consistently in the travel planners and departure boards, but on the day itself, it should appear, maybe advertised as "extra train” to Paris on the departure board.

Edit: you don't need to change your Eurostar reservation for this.


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  • Engin-ius
  • July 4, 2026

First thought - can you cancel the reservation in Brussels, get somewhere to stay in NL and then head to Brussels the next day?

Second - can you change the flight to Brussels?  Very unlikely, I know, but worth investigating.

Third - look at bus options.  Flixbus have late departures, arriving in Brussels v.early but since you have a hotel room booked that should be fine.  They also have early departures (like 03:00) arriving at breakfast time.  This is less good since you will have to spend a couple of hours floating around Amsterdam in the dead of night.


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  • Railmaster
  • July 4, 2026

First thought - can you cancel the reservation in Brussels, get somewhere to stay in NL and then head to Brussels the next day?

Do NOT cancel the reservation at this point. You have until 3 months after tomorrow to do that and get a full refund if you decide not to use it.


  • Author
  • Right on track
  • July 4, 2026

Train traffic around Rotterdam is still disrupted after a fire earlier this week.

You don't need to travel via Amsterdam Centraal. Eurostar is diverted via Utrecht, with an extra stop there for the trains to Brussels/Paris. Your Eurostar will stop in Utrecht Centraal around 21:45. To get there, take the intercity train from Schiphol Airport at 20:59 (destination Driebergen-Zeist), which arrives in Utrecht Centraal at 21:33. The extra Eurostar stop isn't shown consistently in the travel planners and departure boards, but on the day itself, it should appear, maybe advertised as "extra train” to Paris on the departure board.

Edit: you don't need to change your Eurostar reservation for this.

But do I risk not getting on that train/can they refuse me getting on?

 

And when and where does this train show up in Utrecht (Utrecht Centraal?)? I tried to search, but it only shows connecting train - Utrecht-Rotterdam and then Eurostar from there. But Rotterdam-stop is also cancelled.

 

Just wondering if I should just try to find another train (ECD/something) from Schiphol to Brussels. But not sure if it is possible and smart to do while travelling late with a small child :(


  • Author
  • Right on track
  • July 4, 2026

First thought - can you cancel the reservation in Brussels, get somewhere to stay in NL and then head to Brussels the next day?

Do NOT cancel the reservation at this point. You have until 3 months after tomorrow to do that and get a full refund if you decide not to use it.

Okay. But could I still get a full refund after 3 months? 

Talking to customer service at Eurostar was not very helpful. Didnt understand much of what I was told. But my english is not perfect either, so :)


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  • Railmaster
  • July 4, 2026

But do I risk not getting on that train/can they refuse me getting on?

No they can't refuse you and there's no risk. If you look at the information page of NS, they explicitly say:

And when and where does this train show up in Utrecht (Utrecht Centraal?)? I tried to search, but it only shows connecting train - Utrecht-Rotterdam and then Eurostar from there. But Rotterdam-stop is also cancelled.

As I wrote and the NS information page says it is Utrecht Centraal. All Eurostars (except the ones from/to London) have an extra stop there (see NS information page). The NS app shows these extra stops (e.g. 20:46 to Brussels and Paris, for the Eurostar 1 hour earlier) For some reason this stop isn't shown for your train (Eurostar 9398), but that doesn't make any sense, since they should all have an extra stop there. The same train did stop in Utrecht yesterday and the planning for tomorrow also has the stop, so it looks like an omission in the official NS timetable.

Eurostar customer support are usually clueless about any trains except Eurostar, and in the Netherlands, NS is the operator of Eurostar trains, so it's better to ask NS International customer support for confirmation, see this page for chat and social media options:

https://www.nsinternational.com/en/service-and-support

(Scroll down to "In need of more help?”) (Ook beschikbaar in het Nederlands natuurlijk.)

Just wondering if I should just try to find another train (ECD/something) from Schiphol to Brussels. But not sure if it is possible and smart to do while travelling late with a small child :(

There are currently no trains from Rotterdam to Belgium. EC and ECD are running from Breda to Brussels only. From Rotterdam, you can use a replacement bus to Dordrecht, and then continue by train to Breda, or travel via Utrecht. From Schiphol however, travelling via Rotterdam is currently not a fast solution. It's faster via Utrecht.

The last train from Breda to Brussels is the EC at 22:17. To reach that train, you'd have to leave Schiphol Airport already at 20:18 (change in Utrecht, see NS app or ns.nl). That means your booked Eurostar is really the last train of the day for you to reach Brussels. Expect a delay on arrival though of 30-45 minutes because of the diversion.

Do NOT cancel the reservation at this point. You have until 3 months after tomorrow to do that and get a full refund if you decide not to use it.

Okay. But could I still get a full refund after 3 months? 

Until 3 months after the travel date, as required in the EU Regulation.


  • Author
  • Right on track
  • July 4, 2026

Thank you so much! 

This means a lot, really ❤️

 


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  • Engin-ius
  • July 5, 2026

First thought - can you cancel the reservation in Brussels, get somewhere to stay in NL and then head to Brussels the next day?

Do NOT cancel the reservation at this point. You have until 3 months after tomorrow to do that and get a full refund if you decide not to use it.

I meant the hotel reservation - as in, stay in NL overnight if you can and then travel on Monday.