Brussels-North railway station
Brussels-North (French: Bruxelles-Nord, Dutch: 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.
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Location | Rue du Progrès / Vooruitgangstraat 76 B-1030 Schaerbeek, Brussels-Capital Region |
Coordinates | 50°51′36″N 4°21′42″E |
Owned by | SNCB/NMBS |
Operated by | SNCB/NMBS |
Line(s) | 0, 25, 27, 36, 50, 161 |
Platforms | 12 |
Connections | |
Construction | |
Architect | Jacques and Paul Saintenoy |
Architectural style | Modernism |
Other information | |
Station code | FBN |
History | |
Opened | 1952 |
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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
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.[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 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.
Rail lines
Brussels-North has 12 platforms. These passenger lines join in the station:
- Line 0, the Brussels North-South connection
- Line 25 and 27 to Antwerp Central station
- Line 36 to Liège-Guillemins
- Line 50 to Gent-Sint-Pieters
- Line 161 to Namur
Few trains originate from Brussels-North. Instead, most trains through Brussels depart from Brussels-South, some from Schaarbeek.
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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 | ||
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Brussels-South towards Bruxelles-Midi | ICE 79 | Liège-Guillemins towards Frankfurt |
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Preceding station | NMBS/SNCB | Following station | ||
toward Amsterdam Centraal | Intercity Direct 9200 | Brussels-Central toward Brussels-South |
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Brussels-Central toward Oostende | IC 01 | toward Eupen |
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Brussels-Central | IC 03 | toward Genk |
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toward Antwerpen-Centraal | IC 05 weekdays | Brussels-Central toward Charleroi-Sud |
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Brussels-Central toward Tournai | IC 06 | Diegem toward Brussels National Airport |
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Brussels-Central toward Mons | IC 06A | Terminus |
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Brussels-Central toward Binche | IC 11 weekdays | toward Turnhout |
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Brussels-Central toward Kortrijk | IC 12 weekdays | toward Welkenraedt |
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Brussels-Central toward Quiévrain | IC 14 weekdays | toward Liège-Guillemins |
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Brussels-Central | IC 16 | Brussels-Schuman toward Luxembourg |
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Brussels-Central | IC 17 weekends | Brussels-Schuman toward Dinant |
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Brussels-Central | IC 18 weekdays | Brussels-Schuman toward Liège-Palais |
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Brussels-Central From Monday to Friday, except holidays toward Gent-Sint-Pieters | IC 20 | From Monday to Friday, except holidays toward Tongeren |
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Brussels-Central On weekends and holidays toward Gent-Sint-Pieters | On weekends and holidays toward Lokeren |
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From Monday to Friday, except holidays toward Essen | IC 22 | Brussels-Central From Monday to Friday, except holidays |
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On weekends and holidays toward Antwerpen-Centraal | Brussels-Central On weekends and holidays toward Binche |
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Brussels-Central toward Oostende | IC 23 | Terminus |
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Brussels-Central toward Brugge | IC 23A | |||
Brussels-Central toward Kortrijk | IC 26 weekdays | toward Sint-Niklaas |
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Brussels-Central toward De Panne | IC 29 | toward Landen |
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From Monday to Friday, except holidays toward Antwerpen-Centraal | IC 31 | Brussels-Central From Monday to Friday, except holidays |
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On weekends and holidays toward Antwerpen-Centraal | Brussels-Central On weekends and holidays toward Charleroi-Sud |
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toward Antwerpen-Centraal | S 1 weekdays | toward Nivelles |
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Terminus | S 1 weekends | |||
toward Antwerpen-Centraal | S 1 weekends | Brussels-Central |
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toward Leuven | S 2 | Brussels-Central toward Braine-le-Comte |
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toward Dendermonde | S 3 weekdays | Brussels-Central toward Oudenaarde |
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Terminus | S 6 | Brussels-Central toward Denderleeuw |
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Brussels-Schuman toward Louvain-la-Neuve-Université | S 8 | Brussels-Central |
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toward Aalst | S 10 | Brussels-Central toward Dendermonde |
References
- News report re prostitution on Aarschotstraat/Rue d'Aerschot
- Wolmar 2010, p. 20.
- "Histoire en quelques mots — Français". molenbeek.irisnet.be. Retrieved 2017-01-12.
- Belgian railways timetable brochures in English Archived December 23, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
Bibliography
- Wolmar, Christian (2010). Blood, Iron & Gold: How the Railways transformed the World. London: Grove Atlantic. ISBN 9781848871717.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Brussels North station. |