Some €9 billion were pumped into the Belgian National Railways - SNCB/NMBS (tel: (02) 528 2828; website: www.b-rail.be), in a 10-year modernisation completed in 2005. The service is fast and very efficient. There are three major railway stations in Brussels - Bruxelles-Central, located in the heart of the city, Bruxelles-Nord, to the north of the main ring road, and Bruxelles-Midi, to the south. They share a rail enquiries line (tel: (02) 555 2555). All three stations have bars, refreshments and disabled access, while Bruxelles-Midi and Bruxelles-Nord both have car parks.

Rail services: Most domestic trains stop at all three stations. Eurostar trains (tel: (02) 528 2828; website: www.eurostar.com) from London and Thalys express trains (tel: (070) 667 788; website: www.thalys.com) from Aachen, Amsterdam, Cologne, The Hague, Rotterdam and Paris stop at Bruxelles-Midi, the TGV (high-speed train) terminal. Links to Paris (journey time - 1 hour 30 minutes) and London (journey time - 1 hour 51 minutes) are fast and efficient.