Brussels-South railway station

Brussels-South 2 3 4 6
Railway Station
Main hall of Brussels-South railway station
Location	Avenue Fonsny / Fonsnylaan 47B B-1060 Saint-Gilles, Brussels-Capital Region
Coordinates	50°50′07″N 4°20′07″E / 50.835161°N 4.335222°E / 50.835161; 4.335222Coordinates: 50°50′07″N 4°20′07″E / 50.835161°N 4.335222°E / 50.835161; 4.335222
Elevation	26 m (85 ft)
Owned by	SNCB/NMBS
Operated by	SNCB/NMBS
Line(s)	0, 50A, 96, 124
Platforms	12
Tracks	22
Connections	Line 2   Line 3   Line 4   Line 6
Construction
Architect	Adrien Blomme, Yvan Blomme and Fernand Petit
Architectural style	Modernism
Other information
Station code	FBMZ
Website	Official website
History
Opened	1952 (1952)
show Services   International connections   Preceding station   Eurostar   Following station Lille-Europe toward London St Pancras Eurostar Rotterdam Centraal toward Amsterdam Centraal Thalys Paris-Nord Terminus Thalys Antwerpen-Centraal toward Amsterdam Centraal Liège-Guillemins toward Dortmund Hbf toward Lille Europe Antwerpen-Centraal toward Amsterdam Centraal Chambéry toward Bourg-Saint-Maurice Thalys Neige (winter) Antwerpen-Centraal toward Amsterdam Centraal Valence TGV toward Marseille-Saint-Charles Thalys Soleil (summer) Antwerpen-Centraal toward Amsterdam Centraal DB Fernverkehr Terminus ICE 79 Brussels-North towards Frankfurt SNCF Terminus TGV Lille-Europe toward Marseille-St-Charles Lille-Europe toward Perpignan Lille-Europe toward Strasbourg NMBS/SNCB Terminus IC J IC "des Ardennes" & Luxembourg Brussels-Central toward Luxembourg Brussels-Central toward Amsterdam Centraal Intercity Direct 9200 Terminus   National connections   NMBS/SNCB Gent-Sint-Pieters toward Oostende IC 01 Brussels-Central toward Eupen Gent-Sint-Pieters toward Blankenberge and Knokke IC 03 Brussels-Central toward Genk Brussels-Central toward Antwerpen-Centraal IC 05 weekdays Braine-l'Alleud toward Charleroi-Sud Halle toward Tournai IC 06 Brussels-Central toward Brussels National Airport Braine-le-Comte toward Mons IC 06A Halle toward  IC 11 weekdays Brussels-Central toward Turnhout Gent-Sint-Pieters toward Kortrijk IC 12 weekdays Brussels-Central toward Welkenraedt Halle toward Quiévrain IC 14 weekdays Brussels-Central toward Liège-Guillemins Terminus IC 17 weekends Brussels-Central toward Dinant IC 18 weekdays Brussels-Central toward  From Monday to Friday, except holidays toward Gent-Sint-Pieters IC 20 Brussels-Central From Monday to Friday, except holidays toward  On weekends and holidays toward Gent-Sint-Pieters Brussels-Central On weekends and holidays toward Lokeren Brussels-Central From Monday to Friday, except holidays toward Essen IC 22 Terminus Brussels-Central On weekends and holidays toward Antwerpen-Centraal Halle On weekends and holidays toward  Denderleeuw toward Oostende IC 23 Brussels-Central toward Brussels National Airport Gent-Sint-Pieters toward Brugge IC 23A Halle toward Kortrijk IC 26 weekdays Brussels-Central toward Sint-Niklaas toward  IC 29 Brussels-Central toward Landen Brussels-Central From Monday to Friday, except holidays toward Antwerpen-Centraal IC 31 Terminus Brussels-Central On weekends and holidays toward Antwerpen-Centraal Braine-l'Alleud On weekends and holidays toward Charleroi-Sud Brussels-Chapel toward Antwerpen-Centraal S 1 weekdays Forest-East toward Nivelles Brussels-Central toward Bruxelles-Nord / Brussel-Noord S 1 weekends Brussels-Central toward Antwerpen-Centraal S 1 weekends Terminus Brussels-Chapel toward Antwerpen-Centraal S 1 Forest-East toward Nivelles Brussels-Central toward Leuven S 2 Forest-South toward Braine-le-Comte Brussels-Central toward  S 3 Denderleeuw toward  Brussels-Central toward Schaarbeek S 6 Halle toward Denderleeuw Brussels-Central toward  S 8 Terminus Brussels-Central toward Aalst S 10 Brussels-West toward
Location
Brussels-South Location within Brussels

Brussels-South railway station (French: Gare de Bruxelles Midi, Dutch: Station Brussel-Zuid, IATA code: ZYR), officially Brussels-South (French: Bruxelles-Midi, Dutch: Brussel-Zuid), is one of the three major railway stations in Brussels (the two other are Brussels-Central and Brussels-North) and the busiest station in Belgium. It is located in Saint-Gilles/Sint-Gillis, just south of the City of Brussels.

Brussels-South is connected to the Gare du Midi/Zuidstation station on lines 2, 3, 4 and 6 of the Brussels Metro and premetro (underground tram) systems, and serves as an important node of the Brussels Intercommunal Transport Company (STIB/MIVB).

Naming[]

The Brussels-Capital Region is bilingual; hence, both the French and Dutch names of the station—Bruxelles-Midi and Brussel-Zuid—are official. Outside Belgium, this often leads to the use of combined shorthands; for example in the Thomas Cook European Rail Timetable, Brussels-South is designated as Brussels Midi/Zuid; NS (Dutch Railways) announce the station as Brussel Zuid/Midi. "Le Midi" is a reference to Southern France, as trains departing from this station in the 19th century had the region as their final destination. The name Brussel-Zuid, as the Dutch translation of Bruxelles-Midi, was only introduced after the equality law of 1898.^[1]

History[]

First station (1839–1869)[]

Bogards' railway station (1839), pictured c. 1860

A first station known as Bogards' railway station (French: Gare des Bogards, Dutch: Bogaardenstation) had existed, since 1839, near Rouppe Square in the southern part of the City of Brussels, so-called for the former cloister of the Bogards' convent whose site it was built on, and to which Rue des Bogards/Bogaardenstraat is nowadays the only reference. This station, which quickly took the name "South Station" (French: Gare du Midi, Dutch: Zuidstation), served as the six-track terminus of the South Line, a southbound railway line linking Brussels to the industrial towns of Mons, Charleroi and La Louvière, at the heart of the Sillon industriel in Hainaut, Belgium, before crossing the French border (near Quiévrain), where a connecting line could reach Valenciennes, in northern France.^[2] The former presence of a station at this location also explains the unusual width of the current Avenue of Stalingrad, which goes up from Rouppe Square to Brussels' small ring road, a reminder of the train tracks that used to run in its middle.^[3]

Second station (1869–1949)[]

The Belgian railway network grew rapidly during the second half of the 19th century, becoming the densest in continental Europe. By then, Brussels-North and Brussels-South had become the primary railway stations in Brussels (Brussels-North slowly supplanted the original Allée Verte/Groendreef railway station near the same site). However, they were joined only by an inadequate single track running along what is today the route of the 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 more than a century later.

Around 1860, the South Station had reached saturation point and its location too close to the city centre began to cause problems, so the authorities decided to demolish it. A new monumental station designed by the architect Auguste Payen in neoclassical style, opened in 1869, a short distance south from the original site, on the territory of the municipality of Saint-Gilles/Sint-Gillis.^[3] The entrance was shaped like a triumphal arch, richly decorated with sculptures by Joseph Ducaju. In 1880, an allegorical statue of Nike, the Greek goddess of victory riding a chariot, by the sculptor Louis Samain, was placed on the roof of the station as a tribute to railway engineering.^[1] In front of the station, a large public square, known as the Place de la Constitution/Grondwetplein ("Constitution Square"), was created, acting as an entry to the city for its many commuters.^[3][4]

• 

  The second Brussels-South railway station (1869), pictured in 1927

• 

  The second station's main facade and triumphal arch, c. 1920

• 

  The Place de la Constitution/Grondwetplein in front of the second station

Current station (1949–present)[]

Payen's terminal station was itself demolished in 1949, as part of the North–South connection project, and replaced by a transit station on its present site along Avenue Fonsny/Fonsnylaan. Most of the current buildings were erected between 1939 and 1954, in post-war functionalist style, from plans by architects Adrien and Yvan Blomme and Fernand Petit. Work on the connection also led to the station's immediate surroundings to be reorganised. The railway tracks were raised 6 metres (20 ft) and extended unto a viaduct towards the city centre, with shops under it and a covered street, Rue Couverte/Bedektestraat (formerly Rue de l'Argonne/Argonnestraat), along which trams run.^[3]

Since the 1990s, the South Station and the district adjacent to it have undergone profound transformation. The rear part of the station, built in front of Victor Horta Square, and designed in 1992 by architect Marc De Vreese, serves as a terminal for high-speed trains. On Saint-Gilles' side, expropriation plans have led, since 2012, to the creation of modern office blocks constituting a tertiary economic sector along Avenue Fonsny, as well as extensions of the station along Rue de France/Frankrijkstraat, the two arteries that surround the station. This business centre located a stone's throw from the city centre, is intended, in the spirit of the public authorities, to mirror the Northern Quarter business district (also called Little Manhattan), located near the North Station, on the opposite side of the city centre.

• 

  The third (current) Brussels-South station (1952) on Avenue Fonsny/Fonsnylaan

• 

  Terminal building (1992) on Victor Horta Square

• 

  Brussels-South railway station entrance

Features[]

TGV and Thalys sharing a platform at Brussels-South railway station

The station is surrounded by Avenue Fonsny/Fonsnylaan to the east, Rue de France/Frankrijkstraat to the west, Rue Couverte/Bedektestraat to the north and Rue des Vétérinaires/Veeartsenstraat to the south. In the 1990s, the Eurostar terminal was added on Rue de France's side. This part contains two bay platforms with no onward northbound connection.

A tripartite agreement was signed by Belgium, France and the UK on 15 May 1993, which permitted British officials to carry out pre-embarkation immigration controls for passengers travelling on direct Eurostar train services from Brussels to London and Belgian officials to carry out pre-embarkation immigration controls at London Waterloo International station for passengers travelling in the other direction. As a result of this agreement, juxtaposed controls were set up in the station. On 1 October 2004, an administrative arrangement was signed by Belgium, France and the UK to extend juxtaposed controls to Eurostar services between London and Brussels which make a stop in Lille.^[5]

Eurostar passengers travelling to the UK clear exit checks from the Schengen Area (carried out by the Belgian Federal Police) as well as UK entry checks (conducted by the UK Border Force) in the station before boarding their train. On the other hand, Eurostar passengers travelling to Lille Europe or Calais-Fréthun remain within the Schengen Area and are therefore not subject to border checks. Accordingly, they go through a different departure area in the station (bypassing the juxtaposed controls for passengers heading to the UK) and travel in a separate designated coach (available in standard class only) controlled by security guards, who ensure that all of these passengers disembark at Lille/Calais before the train continues to the UK.^[6]

Train services[]

The station is served by the following services:^[7]

• High speed services (Eurostar) London - Calais - Lille - Brussels
• High speed services (Eurostar) London - Brussels - Rotterdam - Amsterdam
• High speed services (Intercity Express) Brussels - Liège - Cologne - Frankfurt
• High speed services (Thalys) Amsterdam - Rotterdam - Antwerp - Brussels - Paris
• High speed services (Thalys) Dortmund - Essen - Düsseldorf - Cologne - Liège - Brussels - Paris
• High speed services (Thalys) Amsterdam - Rotterdam - Antwerp - Brussels - Lille
• High speed services (Thalys) Amsterdam - Rotterdam - Antwerp - Brussels - Chambéry - Bourg-Saint-Maurice (in winter)
• High speed services (Thalys) Amsterdam - Rotterdam - Antwerp - Brussels - Avignon - Marseille (in summer)
• High speed services (TGV) Brussels - Lille - Aéroport CDG - Lyon - Avignon - Marseille
• High speed services (TGV) Brussels - Lille - Aéroport CDG - Lyon - Nîmes - Montpellier - Perpignan
• High speed services (TGV) Brussels - Lille - Aéroport CDG - Strasbourg
• High speed services (ICD-35) Amsterdam - Rotterdam - Breda - Antwerp - Brussels Airport - Brussels
• Intercity services (IC-01) Ostend - Bruges - Ghent - Brussels - Leuven - Liège - Welkenraedt - Eupen
• Intercity services (IC-03) Blankenberge - Bruges - Ghent - Brussels - Leuven - Hasselt - Genk
• Intercity services (IC-16) Brussels - Namur - Arlon - Luxembourg
• Intercity services (IC-05) Essen - 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-07) Charleroi - Nivelles - Brussels - Antwerp (weekdays)
• Intercity services (IC-11) Binche - Braine-le-Comte - Halle - Brussels - Mechelen - Turnhout (weekdays)
• Intercity services (IC-11) Binche - Braine-le-Comte - Halle - Brussels - Scharbeek (weekends)
• Intercity services (IC-12) Kortrijk - Ghent - Brussels - Leuven - Liège - Welkenraedt (weekdays)
• Intercity services (IC-13) Kortrijk - Denderleeuw - Brussels - Schaarbeek (weekdays)
• Intercity services (IC-14) Quiévrain - Mons - Braine-le-Comte - Brussels - Leuven - Liège (weekdays)
• Intercity services (IC-16/34) Brussels - Namur - Arlon - Luxembourg
• Intercity services (IC-17) Brussels - Namur - Dinant (weekends)
• Intercity services (IC-18) Brussels - Namur - Liège (weekdays)
• Intercity services (IC-20) Ghent - Aalst - Brussels - Hasselt - Tongeren (weekdays)
• Intercity services (IC-20) Ghent - Aalst - Brussels - Dendermonde - Lokeren (weekends)
• Intercity services (IC-22) Antwerp - Mechelen - Brussels
• Intercity services (IC-23) Ostend - Bruges - Kortrijk - Zottegem - Brussels - Brussels Airport
• Intercity services (IC-23A) Knokke - Bruges - Ghent - Brussels - Brussels Airport
• Intercity services (IC-26) Kortrijk - Tournai - Halle - Brussels - Dendermonde - Lokeren - Sint Niklaas (weekdays)
• Intercity services (IC-29) Gent - Aalst - Brussels - Brussels Airport - Leuven - Landen (weekdays)
• Intercity services (IC-29) De Panne - Gent - Aalst - Brussels - Brussels Airport - Leuven - Landen (weekends)
• 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 (weekdays)
• Brussels RER services (S3) Schaarbeek - Brussels - Denderleeuw - Zottegem (weekends)
• Brussels RER services (S6) Aalst - Denderleeuw - Geraardsbergen - Halle - Brussels - Schaarbeek (weekdays)
• Brussels RER services (S6) Denderleeuw - Geraardsbergen - Halle - Brussels - Schaarbeek (weekends)
• Brussels RER services (S8) Brussels - Etterbeek - Ottignies - Louvain-le-Neuve
• Brussels RER services (S10) Dendermonde - Brussels - Denderleeuw - Aalst

Metro and premetro station[]

Gare du Midi/Zuidstation metro station
Owned by	STIB/MIVB
Connections	Line 3   Line 4
History
Opened	2 October 1988; 32 years ago (1988-10-02)
Services
Preceding station   Brussels Metro   Following station Porte de Hal/Hallepoort towards Elisabeth Line 2 Clemenceau towards Simonis Line 6 Clemenceau towards King Baudouin

The metro station, called Gare du Midi/Zuidstation, opened on 2 October 1988 as (at that time) the terminus of metro line 2 from Simonis. 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 premetro (underground tram) services at separate platforms, with cross-platform interchange between metro and premetro in both directions.^{[citation needed]}

Ouibus[]

Since 23 July 2012, SNCF's international coach network, OUIBUS, has served Brussels-South.

• Paris - Lille - Brussels
• Amsterdam - Brussels (from 28 April 2014)
• Amsterdam - Brussels - London (from 28 April 2014)

Other bus services[]

A shuttle service to Brussels South Charleroi Airport leaves from a stop located on Rue de France/Frankrijkstraat.^[8]

Places of interest[]

The South Tower, the tallest building in Belgium,^[9] stands in front of the station's main exit (the crossroad of Avenue Fonsny/Fonsnylaan and Rue Couverte/Bedektestraat) and houses the Belgian Federal Pensions Service (FPS).^[10]

References[]

Bibliography[]

• Dambly, Phil (1989). Vapeur en Belgique [Steam in Belgium]. Tome 1: Des origines à 1914 [Volume 1: Origins to 1914]. Brussels: G. Blanchart & Cie. ISBN 2872020055. (in French)
• Dambly, Phil (1994). Vapeur en Belgique [Steam in Belgium]. Tome 2: De 1914 aux dernières fumées [Volume 2: From 1914 to last smoke]. Brussels: G. Blanchart & Cie. ISBN 2872020136. (in French)

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Brussels Midi station.

• Bruxelles-Midi/Brussel-Zuid page at b-europe.com