Brugge railway station ( nl, Station Brugge, french: Gare de Bruges), officially Brugge, is the main

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

Bruges Bruges ( , nl, Brugge ) is the capital and largest City status in Belgium, city of the Provinces of Belgium, province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium, in the northwest of the country, and the sixth-largest city of the countr ...

West Flanders ) , settlement_type = Province of Belgium , image_flag = Flag of West Flanders.svg , flag_size = , image_shield = Wapen van West-Vlaanderen.svg , shield_size = , image_map ...

, Belgium. The station opened on 12 August 1838 on railway lines 50A, 51 and 66. The current building has been in use since 1939. The station is one of the busiest in Belgium. Train services are operated by the

National Railway Company of Belgium french: Société nationale des chemins de fer belgesgerman: Nationale Gesellschaft der Belgischen Eisenbahnen , type = Statutory corporation , industry = Rail Transport , foundation = 1926 , founder = Government of ...

(NMBS/SNCB).

History

The railway arrived in Bruges in 1838 when the Ghent to Bruges railway was opened, with

King Leopold I * nl, Leopold Joris Christiaan Frederik * en, Leopold George Christian Frederick , image = NICAISE Leopold ANV.jpg , caption = Portrait by Nicaise de Keyser, 1856 , reign = 21 July 1831 – , predecessor = Erasme Lou ...

and Queen Louise-Marie. The line was closer to the city centre than it is today, passing through the large square 't Zand within the medieval walls. A couple of weeks later the Bruges to Ostend railway was opened. In the first 6 years of its existence there was no station building, this opened on 't Zand in 1844, designed by Auguste Payen. The railway to

Kortrijk Kortrijk ( , ; vls, Kortryk or ''Kortrik''; french: Courtrai ; la, Cortoriacum), sometimes known in English as Courtrai or Courtray ( ), is a Belgian City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Regio ...

opened in 1846-1857 and lines to

Eeklo Eeklo () is a Belgian municipality in the Flemish province of East Flanders. The municipality comprises only the town of Eeklo proper. The name ''Eeklo'' comes from the contraction of "eke" and "lo", two Old German words meaning ''oak'' and ''sp ...

and

Blankenberge Blankenberge (; french: Blankenberghe; vls, Blanknberge) is a city and a municipality in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the town of Blankenberge proper and the settlement of Uitkerke. On 1 December 2014, Bla ...

in 1863. The result of the success of the railways was that the station was too small. In 1879 the building was demolished and reconstructed at

Ronse Ronse (; french: Renaix, ) is a Belgian city and a municipality in the Flemish province of East Flanders. The municipality only encompasses the city of Ronse proper. History Early settlements to 14th century The hills around Ronse show clu ...

, where it still stands today. After completion in Ronse it became apparent that the building had been accidentally rebuilt backwards, causing the front to face to tracks instead of the street. A new station building was completed in 1886, designed by Joseph Schadde. Work started on the present-day railway alignment outside the city walls in 1910, but it was abandoned during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and not completed until 1936. The current station building, designed in the International Style by the brothers Josse and Maurice Van Kriekinge, opened in 1938. The 1886 station remained, derelict, on 't Zand throughout the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, before its eventual demolition in 1948. The station was served by a daily

Thalys Thalys (French: ) is a French-Belgian high-speed train operator originally built around the LGV Nord high-speed line between Paris and Brussels. This track is shared with Eurostar trains that go from Paris, Brussels or Amsterdam to London via Li ...

high-speed rail High-speed rail (HSR) is a type of rail system that runs significantly faster than traditional rail, using an integrated system of specialised rolling stock and dedicated tracks. While there is no single standard that applies worldwide, lines ...

service to

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

between 1998 and 31 March 2015.Article about final Thalys to Ostend
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Modernisation

In 2007, the station was the 10th busiest station in Belgium and there was a large increase in passengers expected over the coming years. In 2004, a modernisation and expansion of the station started. The tunnel under the platforms was expanded by 12 metres, allowing more space for passengers and small shops. Access to the platforms was improved with new stairs, escalators and lifts. The works were completed in May 2009. Behind the station an underground car park for 800 cars and 1000 bikes was completed in 2010.

Train services

The station is served by the following services: *Intercity services (IC-01) Ostend - Bruges - Ghent - Brussels - Leuven - Liege - Eupen *Intercity services (IC-02) Ostend - Bruges - Ghent - Sint-Niklaas - Antwerpen *Intercity services (IC-03) Knokke/Blankenberge - Bruges - Ghent - Brussels - Leuven - Genk *Intercity services (IC-23) Ostend - Bruges - Kortrijk - Zottegem - Brussels - Brussels Airport *Intercity services (IC-23A) Bruges - Ghent - Brussels - Brussels Airport (weekdays) *Intercity services (IC-32) Bruges - Roeselare - Kortrijk *Local services (L-02) Zeebrugge - Bruges – Ghent – Dendermonde – Mechelen (weekdays) *Local services (L-02) Zeebrugge - Bruges – Ghent (weekends)

References

External links

*{{commonscat-inline, Bruges train station
Belgian Railways website for Brugge
Railway stations in Belgium Railway stations in West Flanders Buildings and structures in Bruges 1838 establishments in Belgium Railway stations in Belgium opened in 1838

History

Modernisation

Train services

See also

References

External links