Massive demand for new Belgo-Dutch high-speed train

More than 3,000 tickets were sold in one hour yesterday for the new high-speed Fyra train connecting  Belgium and the Netherlands. The Fyra fast train service will operate between Amsterdam, Schiphol, Rotterdam, Antwerp and Brussels, starting this Sunday, Dec 9. The current Benelux train service will be cancelled on the same date, leaving no other option for travellers than using the faster, but more expensive Fyra or Thalys. Fyra passengers will need to book their seats in advance, and the average ticket will cost one-third more than the current Benelux train. Those wishing to opt for a slower, cheaper train connection will have to wait until April 2013, when there will be a surcharge-free connection between Breda in the Netherlands and Antwerp in Belgium. The Dutch Competition Authority has started an investigation to see whether cancelling the Benelux train is a monopoly abuse.