Action Plan for Rail and Air Services
KLM is a staunch advocate of the Dutch Action Plan for Rail and Air Services, aimed at improving international train travel as an alternative to flying at six priority destinations (Brussels, Paris, London, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt and Berlin). The Action Plan was drawn up in late 2020 by Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, Dutch rail network operator ProRail, KLM and NS Dutch Railways. KLM’s approach to sustainability focuses on reducing emissions and noise impact, and the ongoing development of its air/rail product forms part of these efforts.

Evaluation of pilot
During the 2022 pilot, customer surveys showed that several improvements were needed such as easier transfers for air/rail passengers at Schiphol, assists for rail customers with luggage, and communication with customers – especially non-European passengers, who are often unfamiliar with Thalys. These obstacles must be removed before KLM can permanently replace flights to and from Brussels with rail capacity. To accomplish this, KLM will need all of its Action Plan partners to cooperate. After all, it has no control over the trains, the railway platforms or the airport.

This cooperative venture is an important first step in KLM’s implementation of the Dutch government’s Action Plan for Rail and Air Services (Actieagenda Trein en Luchtvaart). This action plan was jointly released at the end of 2020 by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management in consultation with Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, ProRail, KLM and NS Dutch Railways. The plan stipulates actions and measures ensuring that international rail travel becomes a logical alternative supplementing airline services on routes shorter than 700 kilometres. For some time now, KLM has offered transfer passengers the option of boarding a Thalys high-speed train instead of a flight on the Brussels-Schiphol leg of their journey (or vice versa). Before the Covid-19 pandemic, 20 to 25% of these passengers (some 36,000 customers) chose this option.  This trial is aimed at improving the customer experience.

Moreover, KLM is working with NS Dutch Railways and other European railway companies to explore the options of additional high-speed, comfortable rail services for transfer passengers to other destinations.

The remarkable thing about the air-rail product being introduced today is that passengers will find it very similar to the air-to-air transfer experience to which they are accustomed. Passengers can, for instance, now check in for their full journey via KLM. Their boarding pass is valid for both the rail service and flight. Furthermore, KLM will be keeping passengers fully informed with travel updates. The air-rail service also offers passengers a more sustainable travel option.

This trial is set to continue until 29 October 2022, after which an in-depth evaluation will take place, with the partners assessing options for further developing the air-rail product.

Rail schedule
The following rail services will feature the new KLM air-rail product:

- BRU-AMS: TH9357, daily except Saturdays, TH9351 on Saturdays
  Mon/Tues/Wed/Thurs/Fri/Sun - departs: 16:52, arrives: 18:25; Sat – departs: 15:52, arrives: 17:25.
- AMS-BRU: TH9376 daily except Saturdays, TH9382 on Saturdays
Mon/Tues/Wed/Thurs/Fri/Sun - departs: 17:34, arrives 19:08; Sat. – departs 18:34, arrives 20:08

These are all local times (CET).

It is not enough to simply make these train seats available, however. Transfer passengers have specific demands and the majority continue to opt for air-air transfer. That is why KLM and Thalys have decided to take the next step in developing their AirRail product, in keeping with the Dutch government’s Action Agenda for Rail and Aviation (Actieagenda Trein en Luchtvaart), dating from 2020.

What are KLM and Thalys planning to do?

Several criteria vital to the success of any replacement rail service have been defined and are endorsed by both the railway and airline sectors:

1.       International trains must stop at Schiphol.

2.       Air and rail arrivals and departures must be coordinated.

3.       Airline and railway IT systems must be able to communicate with each other (e.g. for check-in, boarding, rebooking passengers in the event of disruption and so on).

4.       Railway baggage handling must also be integrated, with trains having secure baggage compartments and with efficient baggage transfer procedures at Schiphol to ensure speed and convenience.

5.       Passengers arriving at Schiphol by rail must have a separate transit route to the gate.

Thalys already meets the first two criteria on the Schiphol-Brussels route. With respect to criteria 3, communication between IT systems, KLM and Thalys have found a workaround: the seats KLM purchases on Thalys trains are entered manually into KLM’s IT system, ensuring that customers who travel by rail enjoy the same level of service and the same efficient communication as those who opt for air travel.

This means that customers can check in and receive boarding passes at Brussels-Midi/Zuid railway station for their entire journey, both rail and air. KLM updates and rebooks customers in the event of disruptions in both rail and air services. KLM also offers customers information on transfers and on how to prepare for their journey. KLM and Thalys will ask their international customers to help them evaluate this temporary workaround.

Passengers should be able to hand over checked baggage at the railway station for forwarding to their final destination. Ideally, they should also have a separate transit route at Schiphol to ensure a smooth transfer. That is not yet the case. KLM will be discussing how best to meet these criteria with the relevant parties.

 

Image: Boet Kreiken (KLM, left) and Bertrand Gosselin (Thalys, right)

Train timetable

Timetable for the trains on which KLM has purchased seats:

- BRU-AMS: TH9357 daily except Saturdays, TH9351 on Saturdays
  Mon/Tue/Wed/Thu/Fri/Sun d. 16:52 a. 18:25; Sat d. 15:52 a. 17:25
- AMS-BRU: TH9376 daily except Saturdays, TH9382 on Saturdays
    Mon/Tue/Wed/Thu/Fri/Sun d. 17:34 a. 19:08; Sat d. 18:34 a. 20:08

All times are local times.