Antwerpen-Centraal railway station
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Antwerpen-Centraal railway station
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| Opening | 1905-08-11 |
| Telegraphic code | FN |
| Railway line(s) | 4 - 12 - 25 - 52 - 59 |
| Platforms | 14 |
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Antwerpen-Centraal (Antwerp Central) is the name of the main railway station in the Belgian city of Antwerp. The station is operated by the national railway company NMBS/SNCB.
The original station building was constructed between 1895 and 1905 as a replacement for the original terminus of the Brussels-Mechelen-Antwerp Railway. The stone clad terminus buildings, with a vast dome above the waiting room hall were designed by Louis Delacenserie and the vast (185 metres long and 44 metres high) iron and glass trainshed by Clement van Bogaert. The station is widely regarded as the finest example of railway architecture in Belgium. The viaduct into the station is also a notable structure designed by local architect Jan Van Asperen
Since 1998 large-scale reconstruction work has been under way to convert the station from a terminus to a through station. A new tunnel has been excavated between Berchem station in the south of the city and Antwerpen-Dam station in the north, passing under Central station, with platforms on two underground levels. This will allow HSL 4 and HSL-Zuid high-speed trains to travel through Antwerp Central without the need to turn around (the existing layout obliges Amsterdam-Brussels trains to call only at Berchem or reverse at Central).
The major elements of the construction project are now complete, and the first through trains ran on 25 March 2007. Through high speed services are anticipated to begin in April 2007.
