Brussels-Central railway station
Brussels-Central  | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Railway Station | |||||
 Main hall of Brussels-Central railway station | |||||
| General information | |||||
| Location | Carrefour de l'Europe/Europakruispunt2 1000City of Brussels,Brussels-Capital Region Belgium | ||||
| Coordinates | 50°50′44″N4°21′25″E/ 50.84556°N 4.35694°E | ||||
| Owned by | SNCB/NMBS | ||||
| Operated by | SNCB/NMBS | ||||
| Line(s) | North–South connection | ||||
| Platforms | 3 (island) | ||||
| Tracks | 6 | ||||
| Connections |  Brussels Metro:15(atmetro station)
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| Construction | |||||
| Architect | Victor Horta,Maxime Brunfaut | ||||
| Architectural style | Modernism | ||||
| Other information | |||||
| Station code | FBCL | ||||
| Website | Official website | ||||
| History | |||||
| Opened | 4 October 1952 | ||||
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Brussels-Central railway station(French:Gare de Bruxelles-Central;Dutch:Station Brussel-Centraal)[a]is arailwayandmetrostation in centralBrussels,Belgium. It is thesecond busiest railway station in Belgium[1]and one of three principal railway stations in Brussels, together withBrussels-SouthandBrussels-North.First completed in 1952 after protracted delays caused by economic difficulties andWorld War II,it is the newest of Brussels' main rail hubs.
Brussels-Central is connected to therapid transitGare Centrale/Centraal Stationstation on lines1and5of theBrussels Metrosystem, and serves as animportant nodeof the Brussels Intercommunal Transport Company (STIB/MIVB).
History
[edit]Inception and construction
[edit]During the late 19th and early 20th centuries,Brussels-NorthandBrussels-Southwere the primary railway stations in Brussels (Brussels-North slowly supplanted the originalAllée Verte/Groendreefrailway station near the same site). However, they were joined only by an inadequate single track running along what is today theSmall Ring(Brussels' inner ring road). Many proposals were put forward to link the two stations more substantially. A law was finally passed in 1909 mandating adirect connection;however, the final project would not be completed until nearly half a century later.
The famed architectVictor Hortawas awarded the design of the Central Station building complex in 1910. He finished the initial version in 1912. Plans for the station originally featured a major urban redevelopment project, for which land was purchased and over 1,000 buildings demolished in the 1920s.[2]ThePutterie/Putterijdistrict began to be razed to make way for the underground station and building complex. However, work was halted byWorld War I.Financial constraints limited work after the war, and in 1927, theBelgian Governmentsuspended the project altogether. In 1935, a new office dedicated to the project was set up and work resumed. The Central Station was planned as a hub in the connection. However,World War IIslowed construction again. The interruptions and delays to construction left large areas filled with debris and craters for decades.[3]
Horta returned to work on the station after the end of the war. Following his death, in 1947, an architectural team led byMaxime Brunfaut,son of the architect Fernand Brunfaut, president of the National Bureau of the North–South connection, was entrusted with the station's construction. The building was completed according to Horta's plans by Brunfaut, who expanded them by adding a new train line toBrussels Airport,in the suburb ofZaventem,as well as several underground passageways for pedestrians.[2][4]The station was finally inaugurated on 4 October 1952. Two memorial plaques in the station's main hall commemorate the opening. On the left-hand side of the second plaque is a medallion bearing Fernand Brunfaut's image.[5]
21st century
[edit]The Central Station was renovated between 2004 and 2010 in an attempt to better equip it to present levels of usage (which can reach 150,000 passengers/day on the busiest days). Two new entrances were created on that occasion, and the main entrance was extensively renovated. TheCarrefour de l'Europe/Europakruispunt,a pedestrianised square, was created in front of the station.[6]Plans then came for the renovation of the tunnel which links the main station with the metro stop. It has been described as dilapidated, dirty, and permanently tinged by the smell of urine.[7]An architectural firm had been retained in 2010 to implement the project designed to make the hallway a better "window" to Brussels for the many travellers who begin their journey there. The new tunnel with hops and a more luminous, graffiti resistant environment were completed in 2013.
AnIslamicjihadistattempted to detonate a suitcase bomb in the Central Station in the failedJune 2017 Brussels attack;there were no casualties. The attacker was subsequently shot and killed by one of the soldiers who were patrolling the station at the time.[8][9][10]
Between 2018 and 2019, the North–South connection's tunnel was renovated to improve ventilation and smoke extraction in the event of a fire. The six-lane underground tunnel, separated by the pillars supporting the vault, was transformed into a tunnel with three openings separated by walls provided with fire doors at regular intervals (an operation carried out by walling the openings between the pillars). The ends of the platforms of the Central Station were also affected.[11]
Features
[edit]Brussels Central Station has six tracks, served by threeisland platforms.These are underground, beneath the city blocks within theBoulevard de l'Impératrice/Keizerinlaan,theRue de l'Infante Isabelle/Infante Isabellastraat,theCantersteen/Kantersteenand theRue de la Putterie/Putterijstraat.The main entrance and ticket office are at ground level on the Boulevard de l'Impératrice, and there are several other entrances on the other streets. AnSNCB/NMBSstation, its main hall is equipped withticket machines.Facilities, equipment and services are also available forpersons with reduced mobility.[12]
Although the railway station is at the very heart of the city, its capacity is not adapted to present usage levels (c.70,000 passengers on a weekday), let alone future ones. The interior and the platforms have been renovated in recent years, but the main problem (i.e. lack of capacity) has not fundamentally been addressed. There have been suggestions to expand the station, but none of them has gained widespread acceptance. Today, at peak times, about 96 trains an hour use the station's six platforms. With passenger growth expected to average 4% per year in the coming decade,Infrabel,the administrator of the Belgian rail network, has determined that an expansion of the rail capacity and of the station will be necessary.[13]The CEO of Infrabel has estimated the cost of an adequate expansion at least €1 billion.[14]However, the task of getting all relevant authorities to agree on a plan has so far proved difficult. Some credit a general taboo against discussions of expanding theNorth–South connectionas a result of the history of extended delays and widespread destruction of neighbourhood blocks that the initial construction brought between 1911 and 1952.
Train services
[edit] | This section needs to beupdated.(August 2023) |
The station is served by the following services:
- Intercity services (IC 01)Ostend - Bruges - Gent - Brussels - Leuven - Liege - Welkenraedt - Eupen
- Intercity services (IC 03)Knokke/Blankenberge - Bruges - Gent - Brussels - Leuven - Hasselt - Genk
- Intercity services (IC 05)Antwerp - Mechelen - Brussels - Nivelles - Charleroi (weekdays)
- Intercity services (IC 06)Tournai - Ath - Halle - Brussels - Brussels Airport
- Intercity services (IC 06A)Mons - Braine-le-Comte - Brussels - Brussels Airport
- Intercity services (IC-11)Binche - Braine-le-Comte - Halle - Brussels - Mechelen - Turnhout (weekdays)
- Intercity services (IC 12)Kortrijk - Gent - Brussels - Leuven - Liege - Welkenraedt (weekdays)
- Intercity services (IC 14)Quiévrain - Mons - Braine-le-Comte - Brussels - Leuven - Liege (weekdays)
- Intercity services (IC 16)Brussels - Namur - Arlon - Luxembourg
- Intercity services (IC 17)Brussels - Namur - Dinant (weekends)
- Intercity services (IC 18)Brussels - Namur - Liege (weekdays)
- Intercity services (IC 20)Gent - Aalst - Brussels - Hasselt - Tongeren (weekdays)
- Intercity services (IC 20)Gent - Aalst - Brussels - Dendermonde - Lokeren (weekends)
- Intercity services (IC 22)Essen - Antwerp - Mechelen - Brussels (weekdays)
- Intercity services (IC 22)Antwerp - Mechelen - Brussels - Halle - Braine-le-Comte - Binche (weekends)
- Intercity services (IC 23)Ostend - Bruges - Kortrijk - Zottegem - Brussels - Brussels Airport
- Intercity services (IC 23A)Bruges - Gent - Brussels - Brussels Airport (weekdays)
- Intercity services (IC 23A)Gent - Brussels - Brussels Airport (weekends)
- Intercity services (IC 26)Kortrijk - Tournai - Halle - Brussels - Dendermonde - Lokeren - Sint Niklaas (weekdays)
- Intercity services (IC 29)De Panne - Gent - Aalst - Brussels - Brussels Airport - Leuven - Landen
- Intercity services (IC 31)Antwerp - Mechelen - Brussels (weekdays)
- Intercity services (IC 31)Antwerp - Mechelen - Brussels - Nivelles - Charleroi(weekends)
- Intercity services (IC 35)Amsterdam - The Hague - Rotterdam - Roosendaal - Antwerp - Brussels Airport - Brussels
- Regional services (S1)Antwerp - Mechelen - Brussels - Waterloo - Nivelles(weekdays)
- Regional services (S1)Antwerp - Mechelen - Brussels(weekends)
- Regional services (S1)Brussels - Waterloo - Nivelles(weekends)
- Regional services (S2)Leuven - Brussels - Halle - Braine-le-Comte
- Regional services (S3)Dendermonde - Brussels - Denderleeuw - Zottegem - Oudenaarde(weekdays)
- Regional services (S6)Aalst - Denderleeuw - Geraardsbergen - Halle - Brussels - Schaarbeek
- Regional services (S8)Brussels - Etterbeek - Ottignies - Louvain-le-Neuve
- Regional services (S10)Dendermonde - Brussels - Denderleeuw - Aalst
The station is also served by many P-Trains operating only during peak hours as well as on Sunday evenings.
Gallery
[edit]-
Front side of the Central Station on theCarrefour de l'Europe/Europakruispunt -
Exterior (main) entrance from the Carrefour de l'Europe -
Interior mural in the station's main hall -
Platform 3 -
Interior entrance from theHorta Gallery -
Sign seen from platform 3 -
Violinist in the hallway connecting the station's train and metro portions
Metro station
[edit]Themetrostation,calledGare Centrale/Centraal Station,is located five minutes' walk from the railway station, under theMarché au bois/Houtmarkt,and can be accessed through a pedestrian tunnel.[15][16]It first opened as apremetro(underground tram) station on 17 December 1969 on the tram line betweenDe BrouckèreandSchuman.Thispremetroline was upgraded to full metro status on 20 September 1976. Then, following the reorganisation of the Brussels Metro on 4 April 2009, it now lies on the joint section of metro lines1and5,which cross Brussels from east to west.
See also
[edit]
- List of railway stations in Belgium
- Rail transport in Belgium
- Transport in Brussels
- Art Deco in Brussels
- History of Brussels
- Joe Van Holsbeeck
References
[edit]Footnotes
[edit]- ^OfficiallyBrussels-Central(French:Bruxelles-Central;Dutch:Brussel-Centraal)
Citations
[edit]- ^"Gares: Bruxelles-Centrale en tête".La Libre.June 10, 2010.RetrievedJune 15,2011.
- ^abAubry & Vandenbreeden 1997.
- ^State 2004,p. 122.
- ^Nilsen 2008,p. 156.
- ^Thierry Belenger and Élisabeth Horth (éd.),Brunfaut's: progressive architecture. Fernand, Gaston, Maxime Brunfaut: a family of modernist architects,Brussels, Atomium éditions/CFC-éditions, 2013 (Les Carnets d'Architecture contemporaine)
- ^"Bruxelles: la nouvelle gare centrale a été inaugurée".rtbf.be.September 20, 2010.RetrievedJuly 18,2011.
- ^Durant, Jerome (May 6, 2010)."Le couloir de la gare centrale enfin rénové".rtbf.be.RetrievedJuly 18,2011.
- ^"Failed Brussels attack could have caused widespread casualties – authorities".the Guardian.June 21, 2017.RetrievedAugust 6,2022.
- ^"Brussels train station blast being treated as terror attack".AP NEWS.May 8, 2021.RetrievedAugust 6,2022.
- ^Laura Smith-Spark, Erin McLaughlin and Pauline Armandet."Explosive TATP used in Brussels Central Station attack, initial exam shows".CNN.RetrievedAugust 6,2022.
- ^"Dans les coulisses du chantier de modernisation de la jonction Nord-Midi".BX1(in French). June 26, 2018.RetrievedAugust 6,2022.
- ^"BRUXELLES-CENTRAL".www.belgianrail.be.RetrievedAugust 6,2022.
- ^Ysebaert, Tom (September 26, 2008)."Brussel-Centraal heeft extra spoortunnel nodig".Nieuwsblad.be.RetrievedJuly 19,2011.
- ^"Infrabel consults on Brussels bottleneck".Railway Gazette.September 26, 2008.RetrievedJuly 19,2011.
- ^BELGA (August 17, 2023)."Le tunnel de la Gare Centrale remis à neuf".La Libre.be(in French).RetrievedAugust 17,2023.
- ^Ienco, Grégory (August 6, 2021)."La rénovation de la station de métro de la gare centrale finalement prévue en 2022".BX1(in French).RetrievedAugust 17,2023.
Bibliography
[edit]- Aubry, Françoise; Vandenbreeden, Jos (1997).Horta: Art Nouveau to Modernism.New York: Harry N Abrams.ISBN978-0-8109-6333-7.
- Nilsen, Micheline (2008).Railways and the Western European capitals: Studies of implantation in London, Paris, Berlin, and Brussels(1st ed.). New York: Palgrave Macmillan.ISBN978-0-230-60773-6.
- State, Paul F. (2004).Historical dictionary of Brussels.Historical dictionaries of cities of the world. Vol. 14. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press.ISBN978-0-8108-5075-0.
- Wolmar, Christian(2010).Blood, Iron & Gold: How the Railways transformed the World.London: Grove Atlantic.ISBN978-1-84887-171-7.
- Le Patrimoine monumental de la Belgique: Bruxelles(PDF)(in French). Vol. 1B: Pentagone E-M. Liège: Pierre Mardaga. 1993. p. 37–39.
External links
[edit]
Media related toBrussels-Central railway stationat Wikimedia Commons
