Brussels-South railway station

Brussels-South (French: Bruxelles-Midi, Dutch: Brussel-Zuid, IATA code: ZYR) is one of the three major railway stations in Brussels (the other two are Brussels-Central and Brussels-North) and the busiest station in Belgium. It is located on the territory of the municipality of Saint-Gilles/Sint-Gillis. The station is connected to the Gare du Midi/Zuidstation station of the Brussels metro system.

Brussels-South 2 3 4 6
Railway Station
Main hall of Brussels-South railway station
Location	Avenue Fonsny / Fonsnylaan 47B B-1060 Saint-Gilles, Brussels-Capital Region
Coordinates	50.835161°N 4.335222°E / 50.835161; 4.335222
Elevation	26 m (85 ft)
Owned by	SNCB/NMBS
Operated by	SNCB/NMBS
Line(s)	0, 50A, 96, 124
Platforms	12
Tracks	22
Construction
Architect	Adrien Blomme, Yvan Blomme and Fernand Petit
Architectural style	Modernism
Other information
Station code	FBMZ
Website	Official website
History
Opened	1952 (1952)
Services   International connections   Preceding station   Eurostar   Following station Lille Europe toward London St Pancras Eurostar Terminus London St Pancras Terminus Rotterdam Centraal toward Amsterdam Centraal Thalys Paris-Nord Terminus Thalys Antwerpen-Centraal toward Amsterdam Centraal Liège-Guillemins toward Dortmund Hbf Lille Europe Terminus Antwerpen-Centraal toward Amsterdam Centraal Chambéry toward Bourg-Saint-Maurice Thalys Neige (winter) Antwerpen-Centraal toward Amsterdam Centraal Valence TGV toward Marseille-Saint-Charles Thalys Soleil (summer) Antwerpen-Centraal toward Amsterdam Centraal Deutsche Bahn Terminus ICE 79 Brussels-North towards Frankfurt SNCF Terminus TGV Lille Europe toward Marseille-St-Charles Lille Europe toward Perpignan Lille Europe toward Strasbourg NMBS/SNCB Terminus IC J IC "des Ardennes" & Luxembourg Brussels-Central toward Luxembourg Brussels-Central toward Amsterdam Centraal Intercity Direct 9200 Terminus   National connections   NMBS/SNCB Gent-Sint-Pieters toward Oostende IC 01 Brussels-Central toward Eupen Gent-Sint-Pieters toward Blankenberge and Knokke IC 03 Brussels-Central toward Genk Brussels-Central toward Antwerpen-Centraal IC 05 weekdays Braine-l'Alleud toward Charleroi-Sud Halle toward Tournai IC 06 Brussels-Central toward Brussels National Airport Braine-le-Comte toward Mons IC 06A Halle toward Binche IC 11 weekdays Brussels-Central toward Turnhout Gent-Sint-Pieters toward Kortrijk IC 12 weekdays Brussels-Central toward Welkenraedt Halle toward Quiévrain IC 14 weekdays Brussels-Central toward Liège-Guillemins Terminus IC 17 weekends Brussels-Central toward Dinant IC 18 weekdays Brussels-Central toward Liège-Palais Liedekerke From Monday to Friday, except holidays toward Gent-Sint-Pieters IC 20 Brussels-Central From Monday to Friday, except holidays toward Tongeren Liedekerke On weekends and holidays toward Gent-Sint-Pieters Brussels-Central On weekends and holidays toward Lokeren Brussels-Central From Monday to Friday, except holidays toward Essen IC 22 Terminus Brussels-Central On weekends and holidays toward Antwerpen-Centraal Halle On weekends and holidays toward Binche Denderleeuw toward Oostende IC 23 Brussels-Central toward Brussels National Airport Gent-Sint-Pieters toward Brugge IC 23A Halle toward Kortrijk IC 26 weekdays Brussels-Central toward Sint-Niklaas Liedekerke toward De Panne IC 29 Brussels-Central toward Landen Brussels-Central From Monday to Friday, except holidays toward Antwerpen-Centraal IC 31 Terminus Brussels-Central On weekends and holidays toward Antwerpen-Centraal Braine-l'Alleud On weekends and holidays toward Charleroi-Sud Brussels-Chapel toward Antwerpen-Centraal S 1 weekdays Forest-East toward Nivelles Brussels-Central toward Bruxelles-Nord / Brussel-Noord S 1 weekends Brussels-Central toward Antwerpen-Centraal S 1 weekends Terminus Brussels-Chapel toward Antwerpen-Centraal S 1 Forest-East toward Nivelles Brussels-Central toward Leuven S 2 Forest-South toward Braine-le-Comte Brussels-Central toward Dendermonde S 3 Denderleeuw toward Oudenaarde Brussels-Central toward Schaarbeek S 6 Halle toward Denderleeuw Brussels-Central toward Louvain-la-Neuve-Université S 8 Terminus Brussels-Central toward Aalst S 10 Brussels-West toward Dendermonde
Location
Brussels-South Location within Brussels

Naming

The Brussels-Capital Region is bilingual; hence, both the French and Dutch names of the station are official. Outside Belgium, this often leads to the use of combined shorthands; for example in the Thomas Cook European Rail Timetable, Brussels-South is designated as Brussels Midi/Zuid; Dutch Railways announce the station as Brussel Zuid/Midi. "Le Midi" is a reference to Southern France, as trains departing from this station in the 19th century had the region as their final destination. The name Brussel-Zuid, as the Dutch translation of Bruxelles-Midi, was only introduced after the equality law of 1898.[1]

History

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

First station (1839–1869)

Bogards' Station (1839), pictured c. 1860

A first station known as Bogards' Station (French: Gare des Bogards, Dutch: Bogaardenstation) had existed, since 1839, near Rouppe Square in the southern part of the City of Brussels, so-called for the eponymous convent whose site it was built on, and to which Rue des Bogards/Bogaardenstraat is nowadays the only reference. The presence of a station at this location also explains the unusual width of the current Avenue of Stalingrad, which goes up from the square to the small ring road and back then used to have train tracks in the middle.[2]

Second station (1869–1949)

The Belgian railway network grew rapidly during the second half of the 19th century, and the old station quickly became too small, so the authorities decided to demolish it. A new monumental station built outside the Pentagon and designed by architect Auguste Payen opened in 1869, a short distance south from the original site.[2] In tribute to the railway technology, a statue of Nike, the Greek goddess of victory, was placed on the roof of the station.[1] In front of the station, a large square, known as the Place de la Constitution/Grondwetplein ("Constitution Square"), was created, acting as an entry to the city.[2][3]

• 
  The second station (1869), pictured in 1927
• 
  The Place de la Constitution/Grondwetplein in front of the second station

Third station (1949–present)

Payen's terminal station was itself demolished in 1949, as part of the North–South connection project, and replaced by a transit station on its present site along Avenue Fonsny/Fonsnylaan. Most of the current buildings were erected between 1939 and 1954, in post-war functionalist style, from plans by architects Adrien and Yvan Blomme and Fernand Petit. Work on the connection also led to the station's immediate surroundings to be reorganised. The tracks were raised 6 metres (20 feet) and extended unto a viaduct towards the city centre, with shops under it and a covered street, Rue Couverte/Bedektestraat (formerly Rue de l'Argonne/Argonnestraat), along which trams run.[2]

The rear part of the station, built in front of Victor Horta Square, and designed in 1992 by architect Marc De Vreese, serves as a terminal for high-speed trains.

• 
  The third (current) station (1952) on Avenue Fonsny/Fonsnylaan
• 
  Terminal building (1992) on Victor Horta Square
• 
  Station entrance

Features

TGV and Thalys sharing a platform

The station is surrounded by Avenue Fonsny/Fonsnylaan to the east, Rue de France/Frankrijkstraat to the west, Rue Couverte/Bedektestraat to the north and Rue des Vétérinaires/Veeartsenstraat to the south. In the 1990s, the Eurostar terminal was added on Rue de France's side. This part contains two bay platforms with no onward northbound connection.

A tripartite agreement was signed by Belgium, France and the UK on 15 May 1993, which permitted British officials to carry out pre-embarkation immigration controls for passengers travelling on direct Eurostar train services from Brussels to London and Belgian officials to carry out pre-embarkation immigration controls at London Waterloo International station for passengers travelling in the other direction. As a result of this agreement, juxtaposed controls were set up in the station. On 1 October 2004, an administrative arrangement was signed by Belgium, France and the UK to extend juxtaposed controls to Eurostar services between London and Brussels which make a stop in Lille.[4]

Eurostar passengers travelling to the UK clear exit checks from the Schengen Area (carried out by the Belgian Federal Police) as well as UK entry checks (conducted by the UK Border Force) in the station before boarding their train. On the other hand, Eurostar passengers travelling to Lille Europe or Calais-Fréthun remain within the Schengen Area and are therefore not subject to border checks. Accordingly, they go through a different departure area in the station (bypassing the juxtaposed controls for passengers heading to the UK) and travel in a separate designated coach (available in standard class only) controlled by security guards, who ensure that all of these passengers disembark at Lille/Calais before the train continues to the UK.[5]

Train services

The station is served by the following services:

• High speed services (Eurostar) London - Calais - Lille - Brussels
• High speed services (Eurostar) London - Brussels - Rotterdam - Amsterdam
• High speed services (Intercity Express) Brussels - Liège - Cologne - Frankfurt
• High speed services (Thalys) Amsterdam - Rotterdam - Antwerp - Brussels - Paris
• High speed services (Thalys) Dortmund - Essen - Düsseldorf - Cologne - Liège - Brussels - Paris
• High speed services (Thalys) Amsterdam - Rotterdam - Antwerp - Brussels - Lille
• High speed services (Thalys) Amsterdam - Rotterdam - Antwerp - Brussels - Chambéry - Bourg-Saint-Maurice (in winter)
• High speed services (Thalys) Amsterdam - Rotterdam - Antwerp - Brussels - Avignon - Marseille (in summer)
• High speed services (TGV) Brussels - Lille - Aéroport CDG - Lyon - Avignon - Marseille
• High speed services (TGV) Brussels - Lille - Aéroport CDG - Lyon - Nîmes - Montpellier - Perpignan
• High speed services (TGV) Brussels - Lille - Aéroport CDG - Strasbourg
• High speed services (ICD-35) Amsterdam - Rotterdam - Breda - Antwerp - Brussels Airport - Brussels
• Intercity services (IC-16) Brussels - Namur - Arlon - Luxembourg
• Intercity services (IC-01) Ostend - Bruges - Ghent - Brussels - Leuven - Liège - Welkenraedt - Eupen
• Intercity services (IC-03) Knokke/Blankenberge - Bruges - Ghent - 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 - Ghent - Brussels - Leuven - Liège - Welkenraedt (weekdays)
• Intercity services (IC-14) Quiévrain - Mons - Braine-le-Comte - Brussels - Leuven - Liège (weekdays)
• Intercity services (IC-17) Brussels - Namur - Dinant (weekends)
• Intercity services (IC-18) Brussels - Namur - Liège (weekdays)
• Intercity services (IC-20) Ghent - Aalst - Brussels - Hasselt - Tongeren (weekdays)
• Intercity services (IC-20) Ghent - 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 - Ghent - Brussels - Brussels Airport (weekdays)
• Intercity services (IC-23A) Ghent - 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

Metro and premetro station

Gare du Midi/Zuidstation metro station
Owned by	STIB/MIVB
Connections	Line 3   Line 4
History
Opened	2 October 1988 (1988-10-02)
Services
Preceding station   Brussels Metro   Following station Porte de Hal/Hallepoort toward Elisabeth Line 2 Clemenceau toward Simonis Line 6 Clemenceau toward King Baudouin

The metro station, called Gare du Midi/Zuidstation, opened on 2 October 1988 as (at that time) the terminus of metro line 2 from Simonis. Line 2 has since been extended beyond Brussels-South to Clemenceau in 1993, Delacroix in 2006, and Gare de l'Ouest/Weststation in 2009. Since 1993, the station also accommodates premetro (underground tram) services at separate platforms, with cross-platform interchange between metro and premetro in both directions.

Ouibus

Since 23 July 2012, SNCF's international coach network, OUIBUS, has served Brussels South.

• Paris - Lille - Brussels
• Amsterdam - Brussels (from 28 April 2014)
• Amsterdam - Brussels - London (from 28 April 2014)

Other bus services

A shuttle service to Brussels South Charleroi Airport leaves from a stop located on Rue de France/Frankrijkstraat.[6]

Places of interest

The South Tower, the tallest building in Belgium,[7] stands in front of the station's main exit (the crossroad of Avenue Fonsny/Fonsnylaan and Rue Couverte/Bedektestraat) and houses the Belgian Federal Pensions Service (FPS).[8]

References

1. focusonbelgium.be
2. "A history of the development of the Gare du Midi district". be.midi. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
3. "Saint-Gilles - Place de la Constitution". www.irismonument.be. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
4. "Explanatory Memorandum to the Channel Tunnel (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Amendment) Order 2004 No. 2589" (PDF). Home Office.
5. "Conditions of Carriage". Eurostar. 4 February 2019. Archived from the original on 27 March 2020. Retrieved 28 March 2020. For security and border control reasons, any booking for intra-Schengen travel from Brussels to Lille or Calais is available in Standard class only and limited to coach 18 or 16 (the “Dedicated Coach”), depending on the type of train. Intra-Schengen passengers departing from Brussels are not subject to border controls, whether for exiting Schengen area or entering the United Kingdom. Therefore, any movement by any intra-Schengen passenger to and from the Dedicated Coach between Brussels and Lille or Calais will be strictly limited and controlled. You must cooperate with our on-board staff and agents, as well as security and border control authorities in the stations in relation to these requirements. Any failure to cooperate, any non-authorised movement to and from the Dedicated Coach and/or any refusal from any intra-Schengen passenger to get off the train at Lille or Calais may result in the intervention of security and border authorities
6. Brussels City-Charleroi airport shuttle bus service
7. GmbH, Emporis. "Belgium | Statistics | EMPORIS". www.emporis.com. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
8. "SFPD". www.sfpd.fgov.be. Retrieved 23 March 2018.

External links

• Bruxelles-Midi/Brussel-Zuid page at b-europe.com