Brussels-North railway station (french: Gare de Bruxelles-Nord, nl, Station Brussel-Noord), officially Brussels-North (french: Bruxelles-Nord, link=no, nl, Brussel-Noord, link=no), is one of the three major railway stations in Brussels, Belgium; the other two are Brussels-Central and Brussels-South. 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, making it one of the busiest in Belgium. Brussels-North is the end point of the '' premetro'' (underground tram)

North–South Axis The North–South Axis is a tram tunnel in Brussels, Belgium, which crosses the city centre from North to South between Brussels-North railway station and Albert premetro station. The first section of this tunnel was opened on 4 October 1976 be ...

(on lines 3 and 4), and an important node of the Brussels Intercommunal Transport Company (

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 ...

), as well as of 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 A central business district (CBD) is the commercial and business centre of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides with the "city ...

(also called ''Little Manhattan''), with several corporation headquarters such as

Belgacom Towers The Proximus Towers (french: Tours Proximus, nl, Proximus-torens, known as the Belgacom Towers before the company's name change) are twin skyscrapers on the / in the Northern Quarter central business district of Brussels, Belgium. The buildings ...

, Rogier Tower and others, government offices, as well as Flemish ministries. Right next to the station is the Rue d'Aerschot/Aarschotstraat, an area of prostitution "behind windows".

Naming

The Brussels-Capital Region is

bilingual Multilingualism is the use of more than one language, either by an individual speaker or by a group of speakers. It is believed that multilingual speakers outnumber monolingual speakers in the world's population. More than half of all E ...

; hence, both the French and Dutch names of the station— and —are official. Outside Belgium, this often leads to the use of combined shorthands; for example in the ''

Thomas Cook European Rail Timetable The ''European Rail Timetable'', more commonly known by its former names, the ''Thomas Cook European Timetable'', the ''Thomas Cook Continental Timetable'' or simply ''Cook's Timetable'', is an international timetable of selected passenger rail ...

'', Brussels-North is designated as '' /''; NS (Dutch Railways) announce the station as ''Brussel Noord/Nord''. The station's bilingual French–Dutch name is otherwise generally translated in English to ''Brussels-North''.

History

First and second stations (1835–1952)

The very first railway station in Brussels was / railway station near the site of today's Yser/IJzer metro station, north of the

City of Brussels The City of Brussels (french: Ville de Bruxelles or alternatively ''Bruxelles-Ville'' ; nl, Stad Brussel or ''Brussel-Stad'') is the largest municipality and historical City centre, centre of the Brussels, Brussels-Capital Region, as well a ...

. It was from there that, on 5 May 1835, the first passenger train on a public railway in

continental Europe Continental Europe or mainland Europe is the contiguous continent of Europe, excluding its surrounding islands. It can also be referred to ambiguously as the European continent, – which can conversely mean the whole of Europe – and, by ...

departed. This first station was replaced in March 1846 by a new monumental station on the Place Charles Rogier/Karel Rogierplein, a short distance east from the original site, on the territory of the municipality of

Saint-Josse-ten-Noode Saint-Josse-ten-Noode () or Sint-Joost-ten-Node (), often simply called Saint-Josse or Sint-Joost, is one of the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located in the north-eastern part of the region, it is bordered by the Ci ...

. Designed by the architect François Coppens in neoclassical style, this second "North Station" (french: Gare du Nord, link=no, nl, Noordstation, link=no) was a single-storey railway complex that stretched in width from the Rue d'Aerschot/Aarschotstraat to the /, and in length, from the Place Rogier to the / (nowadays a tunnel). To connect the neighbourhoods on both sides of the railway, there were only two pedestrian bridges: one at the Place Rogier and the other at the /. It consisted of 27 tracks. The Belgian railway network grew rapidly during the second half of the 19th century, becoming the densest in

. By then, Brussels-North and Brussels-South had become the primary railway stations in Brussels. However, they were joined only by an inadequate single track running along what is today the

Small Ring The Small Ring (french: Petite Ceinture, nl, Kleine Ring) inner ring road, formally R20 and N0 is a series of roadways in central Brussels, Belgium, surrounding the historic city centre. The city centre is usually defined as the area within t ...

(Brussels' inner ring road). Many proposals were put forward to link the two stations more substantially. A law was finally passed in 1909 mandating a direct connection; however, the final project would not be completed until nearly half a century later. File:Groendreefstation.jpg, / railway station (1835), pictured in the early 20th century File:Ancienne Gare du Nord Bruxelles.jpg, The second station on the Place Charles Rogier/Karel Rogierplein (1846), pictured File:Bruxelles à travers les âges (1884) (14761172734).jpg, The second station's interior,

Current station (1952–present)

In 1952, a new transit station, located a few hundred metres further north, was built. It was designed in post-war modernist style by architects Jacques and Paul Saintenoy, assisted by Jean Hendrickx Vanden Bosch. The construction of the

North–South connection The North–South connection (french: Jonction Nord-Midi, nl, Noord-Zuidverbinding) is a railway link of national and international importance through central Brussels, Belgium, that connects the major railway stations in the city. It is line ...

between 1910 and 1953 ensured a train connection between the new station and the South Station. During the construction of the North–South connection, the tracks were raised and several underpasses were added. The old station on the Place Rogier was razed in 1955. A bus station was built on its former site, and then in 1960, the Rogier International Centre, also called the Martini Tower, which was formerly the tallest building in Belgium, and which housed the National Theatre of Belgium until 1999. The building was demolished in 2001, and was replaced by the Rogier Tower. A group of statues from the station's former facade were reconstructed at the Warandepark in Diest,

Flemish Brabant Flemish Brabant ( nl, Vlaams-Brabant ; french: Brabant flamand ) is a province of Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium. It borders on (clockwise from the North) the Belgian provinces of Antwerp, Limburg, Liège, Walloon Brabant, Haina ...

, Belgium. An extensive public transport complex, the North Communication Center (or CCN), was built on the western side of the North Station in the 1970s. As a result, the station building (on the side of the /) is now part of this larger complex. The CCN connects the bus stop of De Lijn and

, as well as the '' premetro'', with the railway station. In 1992, the Brussels-Capital Region decided to erect an Art Deco-inspired office building for its officials above the CCN. Due to the construction of this CCN and the large volume of the office building above it, the architectural appearance of the North Station with its iconic clock tower was diminished. Renovation works started in May 2010. The ticket hall was the first to be renovated and completed in 2012. The renovation works have been systematically continued since then. The intention is, among other things, to install new escalators and lifts and for the Rue d'Aerschot to have a fully-fledged entrance. Unlike the South Station, which was largely remodelled for the arrival of international express trains, the North Station has kept most of its post-war materials and decorative elements, highlighted during this recent renovation. The station has also kept its original

clock tower Clock towers are a specific type of structure which house a turret clock and have one or more clock faces on the upper exterior walls. Many clock towers are freestanding structures but they can also adjoin or be located on top of another buildi ...

. File:Brussels North station (DSCF7427).jpg, The third (current) Brussels-North station's entrance and

Paul Saintenoy Paul Saintenoy (19 June 1862 – 18 July 1952) was a Belgian architect, teacher, architectural historian, and writer. Family ] Born in 1862 in Ixelles, a municipality of Brussels, Belgium, Saintenoy was the son of the architect Gustave Sainte ...

(1952–1956) File:Brussel-Noord - Bruxelles-Nord - panoramio.jpg, View of the North Station's tracks. The clocktower can be seen in the background. File:BRUSSELS NORD STATION BELGIUM JULY 2012 (7690722576).jpg, The CCN building (on the left) and entrance to the North Station

Rail lines

Brussels-North has 12 platforms. These passenger lines join in the station: * North-South connection, Line 0, the Brussels North-South connection * Line 25 and 27 to

Antwerp Central station Antwerpen-Centraal railway station ( nl, Station Antwerpen-Centraal, french: Gare d'Anvers-Central, IATA code: ZWE), officially Antwerpen-Centraal, is the main railway station in Antwerp, Belgium. The station is operated by the National Railwa ...

* Line 36 to Liège-Guillemins *

Line 50 Line 50 is a Luxembourgian railway line connecting Luxembourg City to the west of the country, leading to Kleinbettingen and on to Arlon, in south-eastern Belgium. The terminus at the eastern end is Luxembourg railway station. It is designated, an ...

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 (French and archaic Dutch, ) or (contemporary Dutch, ) is one of the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located in the north-eastern part of the region, it is bordered by the City of Brussels, Etterbeek, Evere a ...

Train services

The station is served by the following services:Belgian railways timetable brochures in English
* 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''

References

Notes

Bibliography

* {{Railway stations in Brussels Railway stations in Brussels Railway stations opened in 1846 Railway stations opened in 1852 Schaerbeek 1852 establishments in Belgium Railway stations in Belgium opened in 1846 Railway stations in Belgium opened in 1852