As major gateways to Brussels, stations are also a lever for economic development and outreach.
A few lines in the programme of our new federal government will not have escaped the attention of those interested in the future of rail in our capital. ‘Brussels is recognised as an international hub and the interconnection between different railway lines. The government will examine how investment can be planned to increase capacity through the capital’, states the thick document.
Stating that it is ‘in favour of a genuine European strategy to make rail an alternative to air travel’, the government still considers it ‘crucial’ that the national airport is better served. ‘We are improving the international high-speed rail connection between the TGV hubs and Zaventem airport’, it explains. Further on, it also undertakes ‘to remove any technical and regulatory obstacles to the development of night trains’.
New offers
Could this give the international status of Brussels stations a boost? That's all we can hope for! The business community is constantly pointing out that the capital's location - ideally situated between Paris, Amsterdam, London, Luxembourg and Frankfurt - is an asset that it absolutely must capitalise on through enhanced connectivity.
In recent weeks, the SNCB seems to have started a movement with two new offers. In addition to the Eurostar, a OUIGO train now links Brussels to Paris three times a day. Running on the classic line, it is slightly slower, but also much cheaper than the high-speed train. Launched last December, Eurocity Direct provides 16 daily return trips between Brussels, Amsterdam and Schiphol.
Combating insecurity
The operator and the various Brussels authorities have yet to make Brussels' international stations truly worthy of their status. We are all aware of the lack of green spaces, the uncleanliness and near-abandonment of certain areas and the feeling of insecurity in the covered tramway corridor at the Midi station. Nobody has forgotten the many incidents that took place in the summer of 2023. Since then, a new police station has been set up.
‘Stations are places where there are large flows of people, which is conducive to illegal activities. They are also home to a lot of homeless people and drug addicts,’ explains Antoine de Borman, Managing Director of perspective.brussels. ‘But insecurity is not inevitable. In addition to medium- and long-term neighbourhood planning and one-off security measures, there are other levers that can be used to transform the appearance of a station’, points out the head of the centre, which has worked on drawing up strategic visions for the development of the North and South districts for the Brussels government.
Enhancing public spaces and connectivity
Antoine de Borman refers in particular to the need to enhance the public spaces surrounding the stations and make them easier to navigate. We should also remember the importance of connectivity, to ensure the smoothest possible links with the capital's business and tourist centres. To the north, a proposed Tram 15 line, on which work could start in 2026, should link the station to the Tour & Taxis site. To the south, it remains to be seen what will be left of the planned metro line 3, which is supposed to link the Midi station directly to the city centre.
Mons, Liège, Namur, Antwerp, Ottignies... all these stations have benefited from major - even colossal - investment in recent years. Brussels has not. ‘Yet Midi is the country's main international station,’ laments Antoine de Borman. ‘But today, it's like a box in the middle of the neighbourhood. It's not very open, and doesn't integrate well with its surroundings. As a result, it can't really play its role in attracting and activating the district’, he insists. As a point of arrival for many international travellers - from Paris and London in particular - the SNCB estimates that by 2023 Midi will be carrying almost 60,000 passengers a day on weekdays. The figures for the North Station are comparable.
Public investments
In the Midi district, we know that the division of responsibilities between the Brussels Region and the municipalities of Anderlecht and Saint-Gilles has constantly slowed down the process of renovating the district and its public spaces. Little by little, however, things seem to be moving. Last summer, we learned that the SNCB was putting four office complexes around the site up for sale, including the large France-Bara complex, the Atrium building on Boulevard de la Porte de Hal and the Delta-Zennewater buildings next to the railway tracks. The sale is a prerequisite for the relocation of all its Brussels staff to the former postal sorting office on rue Fonsny - another major project - and will only take effect once the new headquarters have been provisionally handed over.
In the spring of 2023, the Brussels Government also approved an urban renewal contract for a €22 million investment programme to improve public spaces, green areas and facilities around the station. These include transforming the Esplanade de l'Europe and developing the commercial potential of the areas under the tracks. Work is scheduled to start in 2028, following an initial phase of study, project development and public procurement.
Stations, centres of knowledge
And then there is the major Move'Hub project led by Atenor and BPI Real Estate. As the result of discussions between developers, citydev.brussels, residents, investors and stakeholders at the Midi Station, the project obtained its environmental and urban permit last December. Located on the plot of land opposite the international train exit, between Rue Bara, Rue Blerot and Avenue P.-H. Spaak, the project includes 38,000 m² of office space. ‘Today, international train stations have become knowledge centres where major companies, start-ups and people with connections meet and exchange ideas,’ explains Sandra Gottcheiner, Development & Innovation Director at BPI Real Estate. ‘At a time when cars and planes are gradually being replaced by gentler forms of mobility, having a presence in these places is a matter of course,’ she continues.
‘Today, international train stations have become knowledge centres where major companies, start-ups and people with connections meet and exchange ideas,’ Sandra Gottcheiner, Development & Innovation Director at BPI Real Estate.
Giving pedestrians back their space
The manager, who has high hopes for the urban renewal contracts, explains that one of the reasons why the Midi station is so ‘introverted’ today is undoubtedly because of the ‘all-car’ approach to the station. ‘As in other major European stations, we need to give pedestrians back their right to be king on the esplanades around the station, where they should be able to relax’, she argues. And in Brussels, there's plenty to do! While the esplanades around Paris Nord, Lille Flandres and Rotterdam stations are 9,000, 12,000 and 15,000 m² respectively, the Brussels esplanade is 30,000 m²!
King’s Cross as a model
Designed to achieve a functional mix, Move'Hub includes 79 homes, 65 of which are subsidised by citydev.brussels to facilitate access to home ownership, as well as a 1,500 m² garden. The project plans to activate the ground floors with 1,000 m² of shops, which should also act as connections between travellers and local residents. The town-planning costs of over €5 million will be used to finance infrastructure projects. ‘The goal is to ensure a real connection between the local dimension, the metropolitan dimension via multimodal transport, and the international dimension. And to make it a place that will be alive 24 hours a day’, emphasises Julie Willem, Development Director at Atenor.
She cites as a reference the successful transformation of the King's Cross station area in London, supported by several public-private projects. Once uninhabitable, the area is now home to the 7,000 employees of Google's European headquarters, alongside a large number of housing units - a quarter of which are reserved for the most disadvantaged - shops, co-working spaces and an art school.
Buoyed by this example, the two directors hope to see the Midi district transformed within 5 years. ‘Over and above the intrinsic qualities of the buildings, particularly their sustainability, we now want projects that have a positive impact on the district and the city as a whole,’ concludes Sandra Gottcheiner.