Brussels-North railway station

Brussels-North (French: Gare de Bruxelles-Nord, Dutch: Station Brussel-Noord) is one of the three major railway stations in Brussels (Belgium); the other two are Brussels-Central and Brussels-South. The station's bilingual French–Dutch name is generally translated to Brussels-North. Every regular domestic and international train (except Thalys and Eurostar) passing there has a planned stop. The station has 200,000 passengers per week, mainly commuters.

Brussels-North
3 4
Railway Station
LocationRue du Progrès / Vooruitgangstraat 76
B-1030 Schaerbeek, Brussels-Capital Region
Coordinates50°51′36″N 4°21′42″E
Owned bySNCB/NMBS
Operated bySNCB/NMBS
Line(s)0, 25, 27, 36, 50, 161
Platforms12
Connections
  Line 3
  Line 4
Construction
ArchitectJacques and Paul Saintenoy
Architectural styleModernism
Other information
Station codeFBN
History
Opened1952
Brussels Premetro
North-South Axis
 42555
 Brussels-North (
Gare du Nord
Noordstation
) 4
 Rogier 26
 De Brouckère 15
 Bourse/Beurs
 Anneessens
 5182
 Lemonnier
 81
 Brussels-South (
Gare du Midi
Zuidstation
) 26
 8182
 Porte de Hal/Hallepoort 26
Parvis de Saint-Gilles/
Sint-Gillis Voorplein
 Horta 8197
 Albert
 51│34

Brussels-North is the end point of the premetro (underground tram) North–South Axis and an important node of the Brussels Intercommunal Transport Company STIB/MIVB and bus lines of the Flemish transport company De Lijn. More than 30 regional bus lines depart from there, as do international Eurolines coach services.

The station is located in the Brussels municipality of Schaerbeek, in the middle of the Northern Quarter business district (also called Little Manhattan), with several corporation headquarters such as Belgacom Towers, Rogier Tower and others, government offices and Flemish ministries. Right next to the station is Aarschot Street, an area of prostitution "behind windows".[1]

History
Further information: History of rail transport in Belgium and North–South connection

First and second stations (1835–1952)

The very first railway station in Brussels was Allée Verte/Groendreef Station near the site of the current Yser/IJzer metro station, where on 5 May 1835, the first passenger train on a public railway in continental Europe departed.[2][3] This station was replaced in March 1846 by a new monumental station, designed by architect François Coppens, situated on Charles Rogier Square. It consisted of 27 tracks.

  • The first station in Brussels, Allée Verte/Groendreef Station (operational 1835–1954)
  • The second station's interior, 1884
  • The second station on Rogier Square, c. 1910

Third station (1952–present)

In 1952, a new transit station, located a few hundred metres further north, was built. It was designed in modernist style by architects Jacques and Paul Saintenoy, assisted by Jean Hendrickx Vanden Bosch. The construction of the North–South connection between 1910 and 1953 ensured a train connection between the new station and the South Station. The old station on Rogier Square was razed in 1955. A group of statues from the former facade were reconstructed at the Warandepark in Diest.

Unlike the South Station, which was largely remodeled for the arrival of international express trains, the North Station has kept most of its post-war materials and decorative elements, highlighted during a recent renovation. The station has also kept its original clock tower.

  • Brussels North Station entrance and clock tower by Paul Saintenoy (1952–1956)
  • The passenger building (on the left) and entrance to the station

Rail lines

Brussels-North has 12 platforms. These passenger lines join in the station:

Few trains originate from Brussels-North. Instead, most trains through Brussels depart from Brussels-South, some from Schaarbeek.

A panorama of the premetro station, the platform for north-bound trains to the left, south-bound on the far right

Train services

The station is served by the following services:[4]

  • High speed services (ICE) Brussels - Liege - Cologne - Frankfurt
  • Intercity services (IC-35) Amsterdam - The Hague - Rotterdam - Roosendaal - Antwerp - Brussels Airport - Brussels
  • Intercity services (IC-16) Brussels - Namur - Arlon - Luxembourg
  • 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-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)
  • Brussels RER services (S1) Antwerp - Mechelen - Brussels - Waterloo - Nivelles (weekdays)
  • Brussels RER services (S1) Antwerp - Mechelen - Brussels (weekends)
  • Brussels RER services (S1) Brussels - Waterloo - Nivelles (weekends)
  • Brussels RER services (S2) Leuven - Brussels - Halle - Braine-le-Comte
  • Brussels RER services (S3) Dendermonde - Brussels - Denderleeuw - Zottegem - Oudenaarde (weekdays)
  • Brussels RER services (S6) Aalst - Denderleeuw - Geraardsbergen - Halle - Brussels - Schaarbeek
  • Brussels RER services (S8) Brussels - Etterbeek - Ottignies - Louvain-le-Neuve
  • Brussels RER services (S10) Dendermonde - Brussels - Denderleeuw - Aalst
Preceding station   Deutsche Bahn   Following station
ICE 79
towards Frankfurt
Preceding station   NMBS/SNCB   Following station
Intercity Direct 9200
toward Oostende
IC 01
toward Eupen
toward Blankenberge and Knokke
IC 03
toward Genk
IC 05
weekdays
toward Tournai
IC 06
Diegem
toward Mons
IC 06A
Terminus
toward Binche
IC 11
weekdays
toward Turnhout
toward Kortrijk
IC 12
weekdays
toward Welkenraedt
toward Quiévrain
IC 14
weekdays
IC 16
toward Luxembourg
IC 17
weekends
toward Dinant
IC 18
weekdays
toward Liège-Palais
From Monday to Friday, except holidays
IC 20
From Monday to Friday, except holidays
toward Tongeren
On weekends and holidays
On weekends and holidays
toward Lokeren
From Monday to Friday, except holidays
toward Essen
IC 22
From Monday to Friday, except holidays
On weekends and holidays
On weekends and holidays
toward Binche
toward Oostende
IC 23
Terminus
toward Brugge
IC 23A
toward Kortrijk
IC 26
weekdays
toward Sint-Niklaas
toward De Panne
IC 29
toward Landen
From Monday to Friday, except holidays
IC 31
From Monday to Friday, except holidays
On weekends and holidays
On weekends and holidays
S 1
weekdays
toward Nivelles
TerminusS 1
weekends
S 1
weekends
toward Leuven
S 2
toward Dendermonde
S 3
weekdays
toward Oudenaarde
Terminus
S 6
toward Denderleeuw
toward Louvain-la-Neuve-Université
S 8
toward Aalst
S 10
toward Dendermonde

See also

References
  1. News report re prostitution on Aarschotstraat/Rue d'Aerschot
  2. Wolmar 2010, p. 20.
  3. "Histoire en quelques mots — Français". molenbeek.irisnet.be. Retrieved 2017-01-12.
  4. Belgian railways timetable brochures in English Archived December 23, 2015, at the Wayback Machine

Bibliography
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