Brussels-North railway station


Brussels-North is one of the three major railway stations in Brussels ; 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 passing there has a planned stop. The station has 200,000 passengers per week, mainly commuters.
Brussels-North is the end point of the premetro 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, 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".

History

First and second stations (1835–1952)

The very first railway station in Brussels was the 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. 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.

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.

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.

Train services

The station is served by the following services: