Brussels/Brussel, Belgium - Central Station, old cars - postcard c.1950s

• Postcard

   

• Picture / Image:  Bruxelels  / Brussel / Brussels, Belgium - Central Station 
• Publisher: Artcolor
• Postally used: no
• Stamp:  n/a
• Postmark(s): n/a
• Sent to:  n/a
• Notes / condition: 

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Text from the free encyclopedia WIKIPEDIA may appear below to give a little background information (internal links may not  work) :

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Brussels Central Station (French: Bruxelles-Central, Dutch: Brussel-Centraal) is a railway and metro station in central Brussels, Belgium. It is the second busiest railway station in Belgium[1] and one of three principal railway stations in Brussels, together with Brussels-South and Brussels-North (See: List of railway stations in Belgium). First completed in 1952 after protracted delays caused by economic difficulties and World War II, it is the newest of Brussels' main rail hubs.

During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Brussels North and Brussels South were the primary railway stations in Brussels (Brussels North slowly supplanted the original Allée Verte/Groendreef Station near the same site). However, they were joined only by an inadequate single track running along what is today the route of the Brussels 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.

The railway station has six tracks, served by three island platforms. These are underground, beneath the city blocks within Boulevard de l'Impératrice/Keizerinlaan ('Empress Avenue'), rue de l'Infante Isabelle/Infante Isabellastraat ('Princess Isabella Street'), the Kantersteen ('Square Stone Street') and rue de la Putterie/Putterijstraat ('Puttery Street').

The main entrance and ticket office are at ground level on Boulevard de l'Impératrice/Keizerinlaan, and there are several other entrances on the other streets. The station was renovated between 2004 and 2010 in an attempt to better equip it to present levels of usage (which can reach 150,000 passengers/day on the busiest days). Two new entrances were created, and the main entrance was extensively renovated. The Carrefour de l'Europe/Europakruispunt, a pedestrianised square, was created in front of the station.[6] Plans are underway for the renovation of the tunnel which links the main station with the metro stop. It has been described as dilapidated, dirty, and permanently tinged by the smell of urine.[7] An architectural firm had been retained in 2010 to implement the project designed to make the hallway a better "window" to Brussels for the many travellers who begin their journey there. Shops and a more luminous, graffiti resistant environment were planned, pending final planning approval.

Although Brussels' Central Station is at the very heart of the city, its capacity is not adapted to present usage levels (c. 70,000 passengers on a weekday), let alone future levels. The interior and the platforms have been renovated in recent years, but the main problem (i.e. lack of capacity) has not fundamentally been addressed. There have been suggestions to expand the station, but none of them has gained widespread acceptance. Today, at peak times, about 96 trains an hour use the six platforms of the station. With passenger growth expected to average 4% per year in the coming decade, Infrabel, the administrator of the Belgian rail network, has determined that an expansion of the rail capacity and of the Central Station will be necessary.[8] The CEO of Infrabel has estimated the cost of an adequate expansion at least €1 billion, and has said it will be necessary to complete the project by 2020.[9] However, the task of getting all relevant authorities to agree on a plan has so far proved difficult. Some credit a general taboo against discussions of expanding the North–South rail axis as a result of the history of extended delays and widespread destruction of neighbourhood blocks that the initial construction brought between 1911 and 1952.