Liège-Guillemins railway station (french: Gare de Liège-Guillemins, nl, Station Luik-Guillemins,

IATA code IATA codes are abbreviations that the International Air Transport Association (IATA) publishes to facilitate air travel. They are typically 1, 2, 3, or 4 character combinations (referred to as unigrams, digrams, trigrams, or tetragrams, respect ...

: XHN), officially Liège-Guillemins, is the main station in

Liège Liège ( , , ; wa, Lîdje ; nl, Luik ; german: Lüttich ) is a major city and municipality of Wallonia and the capital of the Belgian province of Liège. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east of Belgium, not far fro ...

, Belgium. It is one of the most important hubs in the country and is one of the four Belgian stations on the

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 ...

network. The station is used by 15,000 people every day, which makes it the eleventh-busiest station in Belgium and the third in

Wallonia Wallonia (; french: Wallonie ), or ; nl, Wallonië ; wa, Waloneye or officially the Walloon Region (french: link=no, Région wallonne),; nl, link=no, Waals gewest; wa, link=no, Redjon walone is one of the three regions of Belgium—al ...

. It is 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 o ...

(SNCB/NMBS).

History

First station (1842–1863)

The choice to make

the crossing point of a railway goes back to the first sketches of the railway from

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

to the

Rhine ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , source ...

, drawn up just after the

Belgian Revolution The Belgian Revolution (, ) was the conflict which led to the secession of the southern provinces (mainly the former Southern Netherlands) from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and the establishment of an independent Kingdom of Belgium. T ...

. A

royal decree A decree is a legal proclamation, usually issued by a head of state (such as the president of a republic or a monarch), according to certain procedures (usually established in a constitution). It has the force of law. The particular term used for ...

issued on 21 March 1832 mentions it and a law dated 1 May 1834 provides for the creation of four lines, including the "eastern line", from

Mechelen Mechelen (; french: Malines ; traditional English name: MechlinMechelen has been known in English as ''Mechlin'', from where the adjective ''Mechlinian'' is derived. This name may still be used, especially in a traditional or historical contex ...

to Liège and the

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an e ...

n border.Ulysse Lamalle, ''Histoire des chemins de fer Belges'' (in French), Brussels, Office de Publicité, 1953, p. 20–22, 37–42. Quartier Guillemins 1845

In 1838, only three years after the first continental railway, a line linking

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 ...

and Ans, in the northern suburbs of Liège, was opened. With the arrival of the railway, Liège needed an interior station. In 1842, a wooden construction was erected on the site of the former convent of the Guillemites. This first Liège-Guillemins railway station was inaugurated in May 1842, linking the valley to the upper Ans station. The Guillemins site, located slightly outside the city centre, was chosen for technical reasons over the local preference for the Place Saint-Lambert. In 1843, the first international railway connection was born, linking Liège to

Aachen Aachen ( ; ; Aachen dialect: ''Oche'' ; French and traditional English: Aix-la-Chapelle; or ''Aquisgranum''; nl, Aken ; Polish: Akwizgran) is, with around 249,000 inhabitants, the 13th-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia, and the 28th ...

and

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 millio ...

(Germany).

Second and third stations (1863–2009)

The Belgian State, choosing to go against the city authorities who demanded the relocation of the station to the city centre, built a new station in 1863 to replace the original wooden one. Its massive structure and its large French-style fan-shaped canopy illuminating the waiting room were its pride. The architect A.P.J. Lambeau, principal engineer for the Ministry of Railways, was particularly inspired by the buildings of the

Gare du Nord The Gare du Nord (; English: ''station of the North'' or ''Northern Station''), officially Paris-Nord, is one of the six large mainline railway station termini in Paris, France. The station accommodates the trains that run between the capital ...

and Gare de l'Est stations in

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. Si ...

. Lambeau is also the architect of the Charleroi-Sud and Namur stations, restored in the 2000s. The station was modernised and improved in 1882 and in 1905 for the

World's Fair A world's fair, also known as a universal exhibition or an expo, is a large international exhibition designed to showcase the achievements of nations. These exhibitions vary in character and are held in different parts of the world at a specif ...

in Liège. This Beaux-Arts station was replaced in 1958 by a much criticised "modern" International style building that was used until June 2009, a few months before the opening of the new Calatrava-designed station. The second station was completely demolished to allow the completion of the remaining sections of the new station. File:Gare Guillemins 1905-2.jpg, The second Liège-Guillemins railway station (1882), pictured in 1905 File:Gare Guillemins années 1970.jpg, The third Liège-Guillemins railway station (1958), pictured in the 1970s

New station

At the end of the 20th century,

high-speed train 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 ...

s were introduced, requiring a new station since the existing platforms were too small. The new station, by the Spanish architect

Santiago Calatrava Santiago Calatrava Valls (born 28 July 1951) is a Spanish architect, structural engineer, sculptor and painter, particularly known for his bridges supported by single leaning pylons, and his railway stations, stadiums, and museums, whose sculp ...

, was officially opened on 18 September 2009, with a show by the stage director

Franco Dragone Franco Dragone (12 December 1952 – 30 September 2022) was an Italian-born Belgian theatre director. He was the founder and artistic director of Dragone, a creative company specializing in the creation of large-scale theatre shows. He was also ...

. It has nine tracks and five platforms (three of and two of ). All the tracks around the station have been modernised to allow high-speed arrival and departure. The new station is made of steel, glass and white

concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens (cures) over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, and is the most wid ...

. It includes a monumental

arch An arch is a vertical curved structure that spans an elevated space and may or may not support the weight above it, or in case of a horizontal arch like an arch dam, the hydrostatic pressure against it. Arches may be synonymous with vau ...

, long and high. The building costs were €312 million. 13-12-26-Gare de Liège-Guillemins by Santiago Calatrava-20

Services

Liège-Guillemins station is served by InterCity (IC), Local (L), and Liège RER (S) trains connecting Liège with all major Belgian cities as well as several international destinations such as

Lille Lille ( , ; nl, Rijsel ; pcd, Lile; vls, Rysel) is a city in the northern part of France, in French Flanders. On the river Deûle, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France region, the prefecture of the No ...

, and

Maastricht Maastricht ( , , ; li, Mestreech ; french: Maestricht ; es, Mastrique ) is a city and a municipality in the southeastern Netherlands. It is the capital and largest city of the province of Limburg. Maastricht is located on both sides of the ...

. In addition to the national trains, Liège-Guillemins station welcomes

Thalys Thalys (French: ) is a French-Belgian high-speed rail, high-speed train operator originally built around the LGV Nord high-speed line between Gare du Nord, Paris and Brussels-South railway station, Brussels. This track is shared with Eurostar tr ...

and ICE trains, connecting Liège to

and

Frankfurt Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , " Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on it ...

. Two new dedicated high-speed tracks were built:

HSL 2 The HSL 2 (french: Ligne à Grande Vitesse (LGV) 2, nl, Hogesnelheidslijn 2, en, High-Speed Line 2) is a Belgian high-speed rail line between Leuven and Ans (near Liège) and is long, all of it on dedicated high-speed tracks, which began ser ...

(Brussels - Liège) and

HSL 3 The HSL 3 (french: Ligne à Grande Vitesse (LGV) 3, nl, Hogesnelheidslijn 3, en, High-Speed Line 3) is a Belgian high-speed rail line. It connects Liège to the German border near Aachen. The high-speed track length is . The line was technic ...

(Liège - German border). The station is served by the following services: *High speed services (''Thalys'') Paris - Brussels - Liège - Aachen - Cologne - Düsseldorf - Essen - Dortmund *High speed services (''ICE'') Brussels - Liège - Aachen - Cologne - Frankfurt *Intercity services (''IC-01'') Ostend - Bruges - Gent - Brussels - Leuven - Liège - Welkenraedt - Eupen *Intercity services (''IC-09'') Antwerp - Lier - Aarschot - Hasselt - Liège (weekends) *Intercity services (''IC-12'') Kortrijk - Gent - Brussels - Leuven - Liège - Welkenraedt (weekdays) *Intercity services (''IC-14'') Quiévrain - Mons - Braine-le-Comte - Brussels - Leuven - Liège (weekdays) *Intercity services (''IC-18'') (Tournai -) Brussels - Namur - Liège (weekdays) *Intercity services (''IC-25'') Mons - Charleroi - Namur - Huy - Liège - Herstal (weekdays) *Intercity services (''IC-25'') Mouscron - Tournai - Mons - Charleroi - Namur - Liège - Liers (weekends) *Intercity services (''IC-33'') Liège - Gouvy - Troisvierges - Luxembourg (weekdays) *Intercity services (''IC-33'') Liers - Liège - Gouvy - Troisvierges - Luxembourg (weekends) *Local services (''L-01'') Namur - Huy - Liège *Local services (''L-15'') Liers - Liège - Rivage - Marloie *S services (''S41'') Liège - Pepinster - Verviers (weekdays) *S services (''S41'') Herstal - Liège - Pepinster - Verviers (weekends) *S services (''S42'') Liers - Liège - Seraing - Flémalle-Haute *S services (''S43'') Hasselt - Tongeren - Liège - Visé - Maastricht (weekdays) *S services (''S43'') Liège - Visé - Maastricht (weekends) *S services (''S44'') Liège - Ans - Waremme (weekdays) *S services (''S44'') Liège - Ans - Waremme - Landen (weekends) Liège-Guillemins also sees various Peak (''P'') trains during the week. The national trains to Brussels also use the high speed track at 200 km/h, while the Thalys and ICE can go up to 300 km/h (bringing Brussels at only 39' minutes from Liège).

Road connections

Liège-Guillemins is also a transport hub for TEC Bus: more than 1620 buses, carrying 15,000 people, serve the station every day. It is one of the few railway stations in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

directly connected to a

motorway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway and expressway. Other similar terms ...

( E40- E25). The connection gives direct access to the 850-place

parking Parking is the act of stopping and disengaging a vehicle and leaving it unoccupied. Parking on one or both sides of a road is often permitted, though sometimes with restrictions. Some buildings have parking facilities for use of the buildings' ...

structure, behind the station. No cycling path connection exists between the station and the city.

References

External links

* *
In Pictures: Calatrava's Liège-Guillemins train station
{{DEFAULTSORT:Liege-Guillemins Railway Station Railway stations in Belgium Railway stations in Liège Province Buildings and structures in Liège Railway stations in Belgium opened in 1842 Santiago Calatrava structures Neo-futurism architecture 1842 establishments in Belgium