Belgium has opened a €266m Diabolo rail link connecting Brussels Airport with the Paris, Amsterdam, London and Köln networks, according to Railway Technology.
The 3km line links the Brussels-Leuven line going east with the new northern Brussels-Antwerp line through a triangular junction at each end.
The opening of the high-speed link will improve connections between rail and air transport, as well as offer Brussels airport passengers a flexible travel choice.
European Commission vice president of transport Siim Kallas said: "With this new link we have created a more efficient intermodal hub at Brussels Airport."
The airport is currently accessible by a dead-end railway station served by regional trains and local roads. The completion of the line will help improve accessibility and reduce congestion.
The new rail link will give passengers the chance to board high-speed trains directly from Brussels and Antwerp airports, allowing smoother connections and quicker journey times.
The project has received €9.7m in trans-European transport network (TEN-T) co-financing.
The Diabolo project also includes completing a rail section that connects Brussels Airport with the existing Brussels-Antwerp-Amsterdam and Paris-Brussels-Köln-Amsterdam-London high-speed rail networks, called TEN-T Priority Project 2.
According to the European Commission, completion of the rail link will further improve Europe's network of high-speed railway lines and the creation of an interoperable and continuous rail network.