While Brussels Midi station is one of the most important train stations in Europe – with over 60,000 people passing through every day – it has a history of crime and open drug use, with locals voicing growing feelings of insecurity.
The station has been a hotspot for many ongoing social problems, between homelessness and open drug use. But in recent months, the area has been making headlines for its fast-rising crime rate – partly driven by the rapid rise of crack use in the capital.
"Brussels-Midi station is an eyesore for all Brussels residents and a disgrace for the whole of Belgium," said Vooruit.brussels MP and former Brussels State Secretary for Urbanism Pascal Smet. "We want to make the Midi area a pleasant, safe and clean part of town where there is always something to do."
Het Zuidstation is een doorn in het oog van alle Brusselaars en een schande voor heel België. Wij willen met @Vooruitbrussels van de Zuidwijk een aangenaam, veilig en proper stadsdeel maken waar altijd iets te beleven valt. Lees hier hoe we dat zien: https://t.co/fb36VmknuN pic.twitter.com/fDtio9xkhG
— Pascal Smet (@SmetPascal) May 31, 2024
Except for the vibrant Marché du Midi every Sunday, the public space around the station is a "no-man's-land" where no one wants to stay longer than necessary, the Flemish socialists said in a press release. "In recent years, no attention has been paid to the public space in the area and the neighbourhood has consequently deteriorated."
Vooruit called tackling the Midi district Quarter "a priority," and want to turn the area into a lively, safe and clean district.
Empty spaces under the tracks
Currently, people walking from the Midi station towards the city centre will pass a blind wall for more than 200 metres underneath the train tracks.
Vooruit wants to activate the large unused spaces hidden behind these walls by giving them urban functions: a skate park, cosy cafés, public toilets, a bicycle repair point, a police station, sanitary facilities for people in precarious situations, a new music temple, a nightclub, studios for artists. "The possibilities are endless."
For many visitors to Brussels (both Belgians and internationals), the uninviting area around the station is the first impression of the Belgian capital – as a place that residents shun because it is left to its own devices.
The Marche du Midi/Zuidmarkt, near Brussels Midi station, in Brussels, Sunday 14 June 2020. Credit: Belga/Laurie Dieffembacq
"We want to transform this stone desert into a pleasant station square," Vooruit said. "With simple interventions such as additional trees, more grass, benches, a skate park and terraces for the new spaces under the tracks, the entire area can be revitalised."
The reconstruction would take the weekly Marché du Midi into account, so it can continue to take place as usual.
Additionally, the aim is to give Avenue Fonsny (on the other side of the station) a "much-needed makeover" with separated cycle paths and more trees, as the street is an important missing link for cyclists between the city centre, Saint-Gillis, Forest and Uccle.
