Train from BRU to AMS--Almost 3 hours?
 

I need one-way tickets from the Bruxelles Midi station to Amsterdam Centraal Station. Travel time on the raileurope site is listed as 2:52, which seems awfully long. Anyone have any experience on this route? Are there a lot of stops along the way? Thanks.

Yup, that's how long it takes, at least until the high speed line opens. The Thalys takes about 10-20 minutes less than the InterCity. There's a fair few stops, but nothing excessive - it's a combination of a relatively roundabout route (thanks to the shape of Zuid Holland) and fairly slow tracks.

It's pretty long.. stops at major cities along the way such as Rotterdam, Den Haag, Antwerpen...

It's not too bad of a ride, however. It's fairly scenic (as far as crusing through the costal flats of the Netherlands can be), they sell drinks and snacks which are pretty much market priced... I did it and didn't mind.. slept part of the way as well.

The thing about Thalys is that it stops at the Brussels south station... 3 min subway ride in BRU but still..

the thalys is actually 2:41 but whether it is worth the supplement to save 11 minutes is debatable. sometimes fares differ between sites - check out www.b-rail.be. you could always break the journey to relieve monotony - there are some nice towns en route. antwerp is currently said to be the most fashionable city in Europe for example (although the thalys stops some way from the centre)