Brussels-Luxembourg railway station

Last updated

Brussels-Luxembourg
SNCB logo.svg
Railway station
Station Brussel-Luxemburg Ingang.jpg
Brussels-Luxembourg railway station
General information
LocationRue de Trèves / Trierstraat
1050 Ixelles, Brussels-Capital Region
Belgium
Coordinates 50°50′20″N4°22′26″E / 50.83889°N 4.37389°E / 50.83889; 4.37389
Owned by SNCB/NMBS
Operated by SNCB/NMBS
Platforms6
Construction
Architect Gustave Saintenoy
Other information
Station codeLX
History
Opened1854;170 years ago (1854)
Brussels-Luxembourg railway station
Location
Belgium location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Brussels-Luxembourg
Location within Belgium
Europe blank laea location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Brussels-Luxembourg
Brussels-Luxembourg (Europe)

Brussels-Luxembourg railway station (French : Gare de Bruxelles-Luxembourg; Dutch : Station Brussel-Luxemburg) [lower-alpha 1] is a railway station in the European Quarter of Brussels, Belgium, located under the Esplanade of the European Parliament (part of the European Parliament complex).

Contents

History

The former Brussels-Luxembourg station's entrance by Gustave Saintenoy (1854-55) Place du Luxembourg 889 Gare.jpg
The former Brussels-Luxembourg station's entrance by Gustave Saintenoy (1854–55)

The station was built between 1854 and 1855 by the Grande Compagnie de Luxembourg, as part of the Brussels-Luxembourg railway line it was constructing. [1] It was to service the new Leopold Quarter, hence its original name of Leopold Quarter railway station (French: Gare du Quartier Léopold, Dutch: Station Leopoldswijk). The lead architect was Gustave Saintenoy, who designed it in a neoclassical style, in keeping with the other buildings around the Place du Luxembourg/Luxemburgplein, which were built around the same time.

The station was Brussels' third, after Allée Verte/Groendreef railway station near the site of today's Yser/IJzer metro station, north of the City of Brussels, and the Bogards' railway station near the Place Rouppe/Rouppeplein in the southern part of the city (which would eventually become Brussels-North railway station and Brussels-South railway station, respectively). Unlike those two, however, Leopold Quarter railway station was designed as a transit station rather than a terminal one. It was painted by the French artist Henri Ottmann in The Luxembourg Station in Brussels (1903).

During the 19th century, the station was divided into sections to differentiate the three different classes of travel. The station was extended in 1899 and 1921 with single storey pavilions, which were then amalgamated in 1934, when the façade was standardised. [1]

Reconstruction

Prior to its reconstruction in the 1990s and 2000s, the station was ground level with its front building facing the Place du Luxembourg. It was redesigned as a subsurface-track station to make way for the European Parliament and a pedestrian link between the Place du Luxembourg and Leopold Park. The tracks were covered over and moved underground during the 1990s. The station's old building was partly demolished in 2004, with the central entrance building being incorporated into the Parliament's complex as an information office until 2016. Today, the central entrance has been repurposed as "Station Europe", a welcome point of the European Parliament. There, visitors can find many gadgets, such as an impressive augmented reality model of the complex, offering information on the Parliament, its buildings, its history and the famous personalities who came to visit. The entrance to the station is now a few metres to the south, via stairs descending down from the esplanade or via a ground floor entrance through the Parliament's József Antall building on the Rue de Trèves/Trierstraat. [2]

The station, completed in 2009, is now entirely underground, although it has been designed to allow a maximum of natural light in. Stained glass windows from the original structure were incorporated into the new building. [3] It now covers 16,000 m2 (170,000 sq ft) and is owned and operated by the National Railway Company of Belgium (NMBS/SNCB). The same architects consortium responsible for the Parliament, Atelier Espace Léopold, were also in charge of the station's redesign.

Future

According to its 2004 planning document, the Brussels Intercommunal Transport Company (STIB/MIVB) has long term plans to open a metro stop at the station. There is congestion along the main metro route running through the European Quarter, and there are too many transfers being made at Arts-Loi/Kunst-Wet. To relieve this, a branch would be directed from Merode to Trône/Troon, via Brussels-Luxembourg. There may be a further metro line running south-west from the station to serve Ixelles, the Chaussée de Waterloo/Waterloosesteenweg, and Vanderkindere. This would make the station one of the major transfer points of the Brussels Metro system. The plan also hopes to make the city's railway stations more inter-connected, allowing for easier transfers between Brussels-South, Brussels-Schuman, and Brussels-Luxembourg. [4]

Train services

Underground platforms Bruxelles-Luxembourg train station platform 3 (Belgium).jpg
Underground platforms

The station is served by the following service(s):

Preceding station SNCB logo.svg NMBS/SNCB Following station
Brussels-Schuman
towards Bruxelles-Midi / Brussel-Zuid
IC 16 Ottignies
towards Luxembourg
Brussels-Schuman
towards Brussels National Airport
IC 17
weekdays
 Etterbeek
towards Dinant
Brussels-Schuman
towards Bruxelles-Midi / Brussel-Zuid
IC 17
weekends
IC 18
weekdays
 Etterbeek
towards Liège-Saint-Lambert
Brussels-Schuman
towards Brussels National Airport
IC 27
weekdays
 Etterbeek
towards Charleroi-Sud
Brussels-Schuman
towards Aalst
S 4
weekdays
Terminus
S 4
weekdays, peak hours only
 Etterbeek
towards Mechelen
Brussels-Schuman
towards Mechelen
S 5
weekdays
 Mouterij
towards Enghien
Brussels-Schuman
towards Bruxelles-Midi / Brussel-Zuid
S 8 Etterbeek
towards Louvain-la-Neuve-Université
Brussels-Schuman
towards Leuven
S 9
weekdays
 Mouterij
towards Braine-l'Alleud
Brussels-Schuman
towards Schaarbeek
S 81
weekdays
 Etterbeek
towards Ottignies

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brussels-Central railway station</span> Railway and metro station in Brussels, Belgium

Brussels-Central railway station is a railway and metro station in central Brussels, Belgium. It is the second busiest railway station in Belgium and one of three principal railway stations in Brussels, together with Brussels-South and Brussels-North. First completed in 1952 after protracted delays caused by economic difficulties and World War II, it is the newest of Brussels' main rail hubs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Schuman railway station</span> Railway station in Brussels, Belgium

Brussels-Schuman railway station is a railway station in the City of Brussels, Belgium, serving the European Quarter. The station received its name from the aboveground Robert Schuman Roundabout, itself named after Robert Schuman, one of the founding fathers of the European Union, the Council of Europe and NATO.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brussels-South railway station</span> Railway and metro station in Brussels, Belgium

Brussels-South railway station is a major railway station in Brussels, Belgium. Geographically, it is located in Saint-Gilles/Sint-Gillis on the border with the adjacent municipality of Anderlecht and just south of the City of Brussels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Merode station</span> Railway and metro station in Brussels, Belgium

Merode is a railway and metro station in Brussels, Belgium. It lies in the municipality of Etterbeek, near the border between Etterbeek, the City of Brussels and Schaerbeek. The metro end is under the Porte de Tervueren/Tervuursepoort, which is the start of the Avenue de Tervueren/Tervurenlaan, a major thoroughfare, while the mainline railway station end is under the Square Princesse Jean de Mérode/Prinses Jean de Mérodeplein. The two stations are connected by a long underground concourse punctuated by ticket barriers. The area is named in honour of the Princess Jean de Mérode.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Delta station</span> Railway and metro station in Brussels, Belgium

Delta is a railway and metro station in the municipality of Auderghem, in the south-eastern part of Brussels, Belgium. It is located near the intersection of the Boulevard du Triomphe/Triomflaan and the Boulevard des Invalides/Invalidenlaan and provides access to the adjacent Plaine campus of the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB) and to the Etterbeek campus of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brussels-North railway station</span> Railway and premetro station in Brussels, Belgium

Brussels-North railway station 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 passing there has a planned stop. The station has 200,000 passengers per week, mainly commuters, making it one of the busiest in Belgium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boondael railway station</span> Railway station in Brussels, Belgium

Boondael railway station or Boondaal railway station is a railway station in the municipality of Ixelles in Brussels, Belgium, operated by the National Railway Company of Belgium (NMBS/SNCB). The station lies on line 26, between Delta and Vivier d'Oie railway stations, respectively in Auderghem and Uccle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Etterbeek railway station</span> Railway station in Brussels, Belgium

Etterbeek railway station is a railway station in Brussels, Belgium, operated by the National Railway Company of Belgium (NMBS/SNCB). The station is named after the municipality of Etterbeek, though it is located in neighbouring Ixelles, at the Couronne/Kroon crossroad on the Greater Ring. It first opened in 1880, and was, as of 2007, the 29th most used railway station in Belgium, with 5,565 passengers per day. In 2014, the station was used by 4,766 passengers on weekdays.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bordet railway station</span> Railway station in Brussels, Belgium

Bordet railway station is a railway station in the municipality of Evere in Brussels, Belgium, operated by the National Railway Company of Belgium (NMBS/SNCB). The station lies on line 26, between Haren and Evere railway stations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leuven railway station</span> Railway station in Flemish Brabant, Belgium

Leuven railway station is the main railway station in Leuven, Flemish Brabant, Belgium. The station is operated by the National Railway Company of Belgium (NMBS/SNCB) and is located on railway line 36. In 2007, it was the fifth-busiest station in Belgium, only preceded by the three main Brussels stations and Gent-Sint-Pieters railway station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jette railway station</span> Railway station in Brussels, Belgium

Jette railway station is a railway station in the municipality of Jette in Brussels, Belgium, opened in 1892. The station, operated by the National Railway Company of Belgium (NMBS/SNCB), is located south of King Baudouin Park on the Place Cardinal Mercier/Kardinaal Mercierplein. It lies on line 50, between Bockstael and Berchem-Sainte-Agathe railway stations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint-Job railway station</span> Railway station in Brussels, Belgium

Saint-Job railway station or Sint-Job railway station is a railway station in the municipality of Uccle in Brussels, Belgium. The station, operated by the National Railway Company of Belgium (NMBS/SNCB), is located on line 26, between Boondael and Moensberg railway stations. The station is named after the nearby Place de Saint-Job/Sint-Jobsplein.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charleroi-Central railway station</span> Railway station in Hainaut, Belgium

Charleroi-Central railway station is the main railway station serving Charleroi, Hainaut, Belgium. It is operated by the National Railway Company of Belgium (SNCB/NMBS). It was formerly called Charleroi-South railway station until December 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mechelen railway station</span> Railway station in Antwerp, Belgium

Mechelen railway station is a railway station in Mechelen, Antwerp, Belgium. The station opened on 5 May 1835 on railway lines 25, 27 and 53. The train services are operated by the National Railway Company of Belgium (NMBS/SNCB).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Namur railway station</span> Railway station in Namur, Belgium

Namur railway station is the main railway station serving Namur, Belgium. The station is used by 18,600 people every day, making it the eighth-busiest station in Belgium and the busiest in Wallonia. It is operated by the National Railway Company of Belgium (SNCB/NMBS).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vilvoorde railway station</span> Railway station in Flemish Brabant, Belgium

Vilvoorde railway station is a railway station in Vilvoorde, Flemish Brabant, Belgium. The station opened on 5 May 1835 on the country's first railway, from Brussels to Mechelen; later to become railway lines 25 and 27. The train services are operated by the National Railway Company of Belgium (NMBS/SNCB).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gembloux railway station</span> Railway station in Namur, Belgium

Gembloux railway station is a railway station in Gembloux, Namur, Belgium. The station was opened on 14 June 1855 by the Grande Compagnie de Luxembourg on railway lines 144, 147 and 161. It is operated by the National Railway Company of Belgium (SNCB/NMBS).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ottignies railway station</span> Railway station in Walloon Brabant, Belgium

Ottignies railway station is a railway station in Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve, Walloon Brabant, Belgium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Halle railway station, Belgium</span> Railway station in Flemish Brabant, Belgium

Halle railway station is a railway station in Halle, Flemish Brabant, Belgium. The station opened on 18 May 1840 and is located on the HSL 1, as well as railway lines 26, 94, and 96. The train services are operated by the National Railway Company of Belgium (NMBS/SNCB).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aalst railway station</span> Railway station in East Flanders, Belgium

Aalst railway station is a railway station in Aalst, East Flanders, Belgium. The station opened on 9 June 1853 and is located on railway lines 50 and 82. The train services are operated by the National Railway Company of Belgium (NMBS/SNCB).

References

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Officially Brussels-Luxembourg (French: Bruxelles-Luxembourg; Dutch: Brussel-Luxemburg)

Citations

  1. 1 2 Demey 2007, pp. 49–57.
  2. ↑ Demey 2007, pp. 372–378.
  3. ↑ "Brussels Luxembourg station remodelled". Railway Gazette. Retrieved 19 July 2011.
  4. ↑ "STIB 2020 Plan: Étendre le réseau de manière à mieux couvrir la demande (pdf)" (PDF) (in French). 2004.

Bibliography

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.