Gare de Bruxelles-Midi
Encyclopedia
/ is the biggest railway station in Brussels
, capital of Belgium
. The station's bilingual French
-Dutch
name is often shortened outside Belgium – for example, in the Thomas Cook
European Rail Timetable — to the (tri-lingual) " /". The station is served by the / station on the Brussels Metro
system. 1,000 trains pass every day between Brussels-South and Brussels-North railway station
s.
in the East, the Rue de France/Frankrijkstraat in the West, the Rue Couverte/Bedektestraat in the North and the Rue des Vétérinaires/Veeartsenstraat in the South. In the 1990s, the Eurostar
terminal was added on the Rue de France/Frankrijkstraat side. This contains two bay platforms with no onward northbound connection.
. 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 pre-metro
(underground tram) services at separate platforms, with cross-platform interchange
between metro and pre-metro in both directions.
Following the restructuring of the city's local public transport network in April 2009, the station is now served by two metro lines (2 and 6) as well as two pre-metro lines (3 and 4). It lies under the Rue Couverte/Overdektestraat, in front of the mainline station.
and Rue Couverte/Overdekte straat) and is named the South Tower
.
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, capital of Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
. The station's bilingual French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
-Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
name is often shortened outside Belgium – for example, in the Thomas Cook
Thomas Cook
Thomas Cook of Melbourne, Derbyshire, England founded the travel agency that is now Thomas Cook Group.- Early days :...
European Rail Timetable — to the (tri-lingual) " /". The station is served by the / station on the Brussels Metro
Brussels Metro
The Brussels Metro is a rapid transit system serving a large part of the Brussels-Capital Region of Belgium. It consists of a network with four metro line services with some shared sections. The metro has 49.9 km of network and 59 stations...
system. 1,000 trains pass every day between Brussels-South and Brussels-North railway station
Brussels-North railway station
Bruxelles-Nord / Brussel-Noord is one of the three major railway stations in Brussels; the other two are Brussels Central and Brussels South...
s.
The railway station
The railway station designed by Payen opened in 1869, though a former station known as Station des Bogards/Bogaardenstation existed since 1840 near the Place Rouppeplein in the southern part of the city. It was demolished 29 years later as it was already too small. In 1949 Payen's 1869 terminal station was itself demolished and replaced by a through station on the present site, a short distance south of the original one, as part of the North-South connection project. The station is surrounded by the Avenue Fonsny/FonsnylaanAvenue Fonsny
The Avenue Fonsny or Fonsnylaan is a major street in the municipality of Saint-Gilles in Brussels, Belgium connecting the Place de la Constitution on the south-west of the small ring road to the municipality of Forest. It is continued in Forest by the Avenue Van Volxem. It runs parallel to the...
in the East, the Rue de France/Frankrijkstraat in the West, the Rue Couverte/Bedektestraat in the North and the Rue des Vétérinaires/Veeartsenstraat in the South. In the 1990s, the Eurostar
Eurostar
Eurostar is a high-speed railway service connecting London with Paris and Brussels. All its trains traverse the Channel Tunnel between England and France, owned and operated separately by Eurotunnel....
terminal was added on the Rue de France/Frankrijkstraat side. This contains two bay platforms with no onward northbound connection.
The metro and premetro station
The metro station, called Gare du Midi - Zuidstation, opened in 1988 as (at that time) the final stop of metro line 2 from SimonisSimonis metro station
The Simonis Metro Station is a station on the Brussels Metro serving lines 2 and 6 via two different levels called Elisabeth and Leopold II. It opened on 6 October 1982 and is situated at the end of Boulevard Léopold II. It is close to Elizabeth Park and the Basilica of the Sacred Heart...
. Line 2 has since been extended beyond Brussels-South - to Clemenceau
Clemenceau metro station
The Clemenceau metro station is an Brussels metro station on the southern segment of line 2. It opened on 18 June 1993 and was the terminus of line 2 until Delacroix opened in 2006. It is located on Clemenceau Avenue, between Bergensesteenweg and Kliniekstraat next to a slaughterhouse, in the...
in 1993, Delacroix
Delacroix metro station
Delacroix is a station on lines 2 and 6 of the Brussels metro. It runs parallel to Delacroix street, located in the municipality of Anderlecht. The Brussels-Charleroi Canal runs under the station....
in 2006, and Gare de l'Ouest/Weststation in 2009. Since 1993 the station also accommodates pre-metro
Premetro
A premetro is a tramway or light railway which includes segments built to rapid transit standards, usually as part of a process of conversion to a metro railway, mainly by the construction of tunnels in the central city area...
(underground tram) services at separate platforms, with cross-platform interchange
Cross-platform interchange
A cross-platform interchange is a type of interchange between different lines in a metro system. The term originates with the London Underground; such layouts exist in other networks but are not commonly so named...
between metro and pre-metro in both directions.
Following the restructuring of the city's local public transport network in April 2009, the station is now served by two metro lines (2 and 6) as well as two pre-metro lines (3 and 4). It lies under the Rue Couverte/Overdektestraat, in front of the mainline station.
Places of interest
The tallest building in Belgium stands in front of the main exit from the station (the crossroad of Avenue FonsnylaanAvenue Fonsny
The Avenue Fonsny or Fonsnylaan is a major street in the municipality of Saint-Gilles in Brussels, Belgium connecting the Place de la Constitution on the south-west of the small ring road to the municipality of Forest. It is continued in Forest by the Avenue Van Volxem. It runs parallel to the...
and Rue Couverte/Overdekte straat) and is named the South Tower
South Tower (Brussels)
The South Tower in Brussels is the tallest building in Belgium. It is 150 metres high and has 38 floors and also 3 basement floors, with 11 lifts. It stands next to the Brussels South Railway Station. It was built between 1962 and 1967...
.