Brussels-West Station (french: Gare de l'Ouest, nl, Weststation) is a
multimodal transport hub located in the
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
of
Molenbeek-Saint-Jean
( French, ) or (Dutch, ), often simply called Molenbeek, is one of the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located in the western part of the region, it is bordered by the City of Brussels, from which it is separated ...
, in the western part of
Brussels
Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
, Belgium. The metro station opened on 6 October 1982 as part of the
Beekkant
Beekkant is a Brussels Metro station located in the municipality of Molenbeek-Saint-Jean, in the western part of Brussels, Belgium. It opened on 8 May 1981 as part of the Sainte-Catherine/Sint-Katelijne–Beekkant extension of former line 1, ...
–
Saint Guidon/Sint-Guido extension of former line 1B. Following the reorganisation of the
Brussels Metro
The Brussels Metro (french: Métro de Bruxelles, nl, Brusselse metro) is a rapid transit system serving a large part of the Brussels-Capital Region of Belgium. It consists of four conventional metro lines and three ''premetro'' lines. The me ...
on 4 April 2009, it is served by lines
1,
2,
5 and
6.
History
The train station was initially opened in 1872 on the western orbital railroad of Brussels, line
28. It used to be an extensive goods yard, with the station building located close to the current location of
Beekkant
Beekkant is a Brussels Metro station located in the municipality of Molenbeek-Saint-Jean, in the western part of Brussels, Belgium. It opened on 8 May 1981 as part of the Sainte-Catherine/Sint-Katelijne–Beekkant extension of former line 1, ...
metro station. After the closure of the goods yard, the platforms were moved south. The train station was closed for passengers in 1984, but reopened in December 2009 in the framework of the
Brussels Regional Express Network
The Brussels S-train, also known as the Brussels Regional Express Network (french: Réseau Express Régional Bruxellois or RER); ( nl, Gewestelijk ExpresNet or GEN) is a suburban rail system in the Brussels Capital Region. It will offer fast conn ...
(RER/GEN) project.
From 6 October 1982, the station was also served by the former
line 1B of the
Brussels Metro
The Brussels Metro (french: Métro de Bruxelles, nl, Brusselse metro) is a rapid transit system serving a large part of the Brussels-Capital Region of Belgium. It consists of four conventional metro lines and three ''premetro'' lines. The me ...
. With the completion of the loop of the
line 2 and the reorganisation of the Brussels metro network in April 2009, all Brussels metro lines (
1,
2,
5 and
6) now serve the station. The station also connects with tram and bus lines, and the new
Jacques Brel
Jacques Romain Georges Brel (, ; 8 April 1929 – 9 October 1978) was a Belgian singer and actor who composed and performed literate, thoughtful, and theatrical songs that generated a large, devoted following—initially in Belgium and France, l ...
bus and metro depot has been built nearby.
Current services
Since its rebuilding in 2009, the West Station is becoming a major multimodal transport hub in western Brussels which will gain importance in the framework of the
Brussels RER/GEN development.
National Rail (
SNCB/NMBS
french: Société nationale des chemins de fer belgesgerman: Nationale Gesellschaft der Belgischen Eisenbahnen
, type = Statutory corporation
, industry = Rail Transport
, foundation = 1926
, founder = Government o ...
)
The station is served by the following service(s):
* Brussels RER/GEN services (S10) ''Dendermonde - Brussels - Denderleeuw - Aalst''
Brussels metro
The Brussels Metro (french: Métro de Bruxelles, nl, Brusselse metro) is a rapid transit system serving a large part of the Brussels-Capital Region of Belgium. It consists of four conventional metro lines and three ''premetro'' lines. The me ...
(
STIB/MIVB
The Brussels Intercommunal Transport Company (french: Société des Transports Intercommunaux de Bruxelles or ; nl, Maatschappij voor het Intercommunaal Vervoer te Brussel or ) is the local public transport operator in Brussels, Belgium. It is u ...
)
On the metro network, the station is called ''Gare de l'Ouest'' in French and ''Weststation'' in Dutch. It is served by all metro lines (
1-
5 and
2-
6). Changing between the two metro lines (1/5 and 2/6), is however, very cumbersome, requiring passengers to go up the escalator, leave the fare controlled area and cross the main railway line and down through a fare gate again. That change is better done at the next station,
Beekkant
Beekkant is a Brussels Metro station located in the municipality of Molenbeek-Saint-Jean, in the western part of Brussels, Belgium. It opened on 8 May 1981 as part of the Sainte-Catherine/Sint-Katelijne–Beekkant extension of former line 1, ...
.
Brussels tram
The tram (or streetcar) system in Brussels, Belgium is the 16th largest tram system in the world by route length, in 2017 providing 149.1 million journeys (up 9.5% on 2016) over routes 140.6 km in length. In 2018, the Brussels tram syste ...
lines (
STIB/MIVB
The Brussels Intercommunal Transport Company (french: Société des Transports Intercommunaux de Bruxelles or ; nl, Maatschappij voor het Intercommunaal Vervoer te Brussel or ) is the local public transport operator in Brussels, Belgium. It is u ...
)
* Line
82 Berchem Station - Drogenbos Castle
* Line
83 Berchem Station - Montgomery
Brussels bus lines (
STIB/MIVB
The Brussels Intercommunal Transport Company (french: Société des Transports Intercommunaux de Bruxelles or ; nl, Maatschappij voor het Intercommunaal Vervoer te Brussel or ) is the local public transport operator in Brussels, Belgium. It is u ...
)
* Line 86 Machtens -
Central Station
Central stations or central railway stations emerged in the second half of the nineteenth century as railway stations that had initially been built on the edge of city centres were enveloped by urban expansion and became an integral part of the ...
Flemish bus lines (
De Lijn
Vlaamse Vervoersmaatschappij De Lijn (English: Flemish transport company ''De Lijn''), usually known as De Lijn (, "The Line"), is a company run by the Flemish government in Belgium to provide public transportation with about 2240 buses and 399 tr ...
)
* 126 North Station - Ninove (Express)
* 127 North Station - Ninove
* 128 North station - Ninove
* 129 North Station - Dilbeek Zuurweide
* 620 Brussels Airport - Erasme Hospital
External links
{{Railway stations in Brussels
Railway stations in Brussels
Brussels metro stations located underground
Molenbeek-Saint-Jean
Railway stations opened in 1872
Railway stations opened in 1982
Railway stations opened in 2009