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Charleroi-Central railway station

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(Redirected from Charleroi-South railway station) Railway station in Hainaut, Belgium
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Charleroi-Central
Railway Station
Charleroi-Central railway station
General information
LocationSquare des Martyrs du 18 août,
6000 Charleroi
Belgium
Coordinates50°24′17″N 4°26′19″E / 50.40472°N 4.43861°E / 50.40472; 4.43861
Owned bySNCB/NMBS
Operated bySNCB/NMBS
Line(s)117, 118, 124, 130, 130A, 132, 130, 140
Platforms11
Tracks12
Other information
Station codeFCR
History
Opened1843; 182 years ago (1843)
Previous namesCharleroi-South
Location
Charleroi-Central is located in BelgiumCharleroi-CentralCharleroi-CentralLocation within BelgiumShow map of BelgiumCharleroi-Central is located in EuropeCharleroi-CentralCharleroi-CentralCharleroi-Central (Europe)Show map of Europe

Charleroi-Central railway station (French: Gare de Charleroi-Central; Dutch: Station Charleroi-Centraal) 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 (French: Gare de Charleroi-Sud; Dutch: Station Charleroi-Zuid) until December 2022.

Charleroi-Central is also the main TEC bus station in Charleroi, and a station of the Charleroi Metro.

History

Early history

Charleroi-South railway station in the early 20th century

The first railway connection to Charleroi was inaugurated in 1843, when the Belgian State Railways (Chemins de fer de l'État Belge) opened an indirect line from Brussels to Charleroi (via Braine-le-Comte), continuing to Namur. On 23 October 1843, a train stopped for the first time in Charleroi. At this time, the station is not more than a temporary building along the rails at the north-west of the actual site. In 1848, the Compagnie de l'Entre Sambre et Meuse to Walcourt and Morialmé opened, to support local extractive industries. In 1852, the Compagnie du Nord-Belge opened to connect Charleroi with its northern French network, via Erquelinnes. In 1855, the Compagnie du Grand Central Belge to Ottignies also opened.

The opening of the current more direct line to Brussels, via Nivelles and Luttre, took place in 1874. The current station building was inaugurated in October the same year after nine years of works. The building is in neoclassical style and the use of innovative materials such as iron and glass at the time gave it an avant-garde style. The building is a continuation of the work of A.P.J. Lambeau, principal engineer for the Ministry of Railways, who also designed the stations at Namur (1864), Liège-Guillemins (1870), and Mons (1870). In 1949, the line to Brussels was electrified, making the second railway line in Belgium to be electrified after the Brussels–Antwerp line in 1935.

21st century

The station was served by a daily Thalys high-speed rail service to Paris between 1998 and 31 March 2015. In June 2011, after seven years of work, the renovated station was inaugurated. Renovation included the exterior of the 1874 building, the interior (including a new shopping gallery), tunnels, as well as the square in front of the station.

In 2021, work began to improve accessibility to the station. It will include the installation of lifts to access each platform. The station will now be fully accessible to persons with reduced mobility. New ticket offices will be installed, the platform shelters will be modernised and a brand new corridor will be built under the tracks.

Train services

The station is served by the following services:

  • Intercity services (IC-05) Antwerp - Mechelen - Brussels - Nivelles - Charleroi (weekdays)
  • Intercity services (IC-19) Lille - Tournai - Saint-Ghislain - Mons - Charleroi - Namur
  • Intercity services (IC-24) Charleroi - Walcourt - Mariembourg - Couvin
  • Intercity services (IC-25) Mons - Charleroi - Namur - Huy - Liege (weekdays)
  • Intercity services (IC-25) Mouscron - Tournai - Saint-Ghislain - Mons - Charleroi - Namur - Huy - Liege - Liers (weekends)
  • Intercity services (IC-27) Brussels Airport - Brussels-Luxembourg - Nivelles - Charleroi (weekdays)
  • Intercity services (IC-31) Antwerp - Mechelen - Brussels - Nivelles - Charleroi (weekends)
  • Intercity services (K82) Maubeuge - Charleroi - Namur
  • Local services (L-06) Luttre - Manage - La Louvière - Charleroi (weekdays)
  • Local services (L-06) Manage - La Louvière - Charleroi (weekends)
  • Local services (L-06A) Manage - Luttre - Charleroi (weekends)
  • Local services (L-07) Erquelinnes - Lobbes - Charleroi
  • Local services (L-14) Ottignies - Fleurus - Charleroi - Tamines - Namur - Jambes
Preceding station NMBS/SNCB Following station
Marchienne-au-Ponttowards Antwerpen-Centraal IC 05weekdays Terminus
La Louvière-Sudtowards Lille-Flandres IC 19 Taminestowards Namur
Berzéetowards Couvin IC 24weekdays Terminus
Jamioulxtowards Couvin IC 24weekends
Marchienne-au-Ponttowards Mons IC 25weekdays Châtelet (B)towards Herstal
Marchienne-au-Ponttowards Mouscron IC 25weekends Châtelet (B)towards Liers
Marchienne-au-Ponttowards Brussels National Airport IC 27weekdays Terminus
Marchienne-au-Ponttowards Antwerpen-Centraal IC 31weekends
Marchienne-au-Ponttowards Luttre L 06weekdays
Marchienne-au-Ponttowards Manage L 06weekends
L 06Aweekends
Marchienne-Zonetowards Erquelinnes L 07
Charleroi-Westtowards Ottignies L 14 Couillettowards Jambes
Preceding station TER Hauts-de-France Following station
MaubeugeTerminus KronoK82 NamurTerminus

In addition to the above services, additional peak time trains are scheduled on weekdays (mornings and end of afternoons).

Metro station

SudCharleroi Metro
General information
Tracks2
Construction
Platform levels1
ParkingYes
History
Opened21 June 1976
Services
Preceding station Charleroi Metro Following station
VilletteOne-way operation M1 Tiroutowards Monument
Villettetowards Monument M2 TirouOne-way operation
Villettetowards Faubourg de Bruxelles M3
VilletteOne-way operation M4 Tiroutowards Soleilmont

Charleroi-South metro station, simply known as South (French: Sud) on network maps, was opened in 1976. Along with Vilette, Sud was the first station to enter service on the Charleroi Metro.

Located at street level, Sud was a terminus station until the opening of the last section of the central loop of the Charleroi Metro, on 27 February 2012. The station features a balloon loop from the times it was a terminus, allowing vehicles entering it from the west to reverse. It is unused since the central loop's completion.

Bus station

Charleroi-South bus station is the main TEC bus transfer point in Charleroi. An express bus line (line A) serves the Brussels South Charleroi Airport.

Gallery

  • View of the platforms View of the platforms
  • View of the platforms and tracks View of the platforms and tracks
  • Place name sign on a platform Place name sign on a platform

See also

References

Footnotes

  1. Officially Charleroi-Central (French: Charleroi-Central; Dutch: Charleroi-Centraal)
  2. Officially Charleroi-Sud (French: Charleroi-Sud; Dutch: Charleroi-Zuid)

Citations

  1. "CHARLEROI-SUD". www.belgianrail.be. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
  2. Evelyne Michel,Veronique Piraux "La gare de Charleroi-Sud",Collections SNCB-Holding, Brussels, June 2011.
  3. Article about final Thalys to Ostend
  4. Didier Albin, "La nouvelle gare de Charleroi sera inaugurée ce week-end", Le Soir, Brussels, 23 June 2011.
  5. Malik Hadrich, "Un chantier démarre à la gare de Charleroi-Sud et il va durer quelques années", 7sur7, Antwerpen, 15 March 2021.

External links

Charleroi Metro lines and stations
M1
M2
M3
M4
M5
Charleroi
Areas
Landmarks
Transport
Education
This list is incomplete.
Categories: