Belgium’s national rail provider SNCB replaced the wooden benches in Gare du Nord with metal seats during a recent renovation, with some claiming that this was an attempt to deter homelessness.
The SNCB's move to replace the wooden benches at Gare du Nord with metal seats caused a lot of criticism on social media with many finding the new seats to be ugly or claiming that they are an attempt to bully homeless people to stay away from the station.
"Gare du Nord in Brussels had beautiful wooden benches where you could wait stylishly for the train,” wrote Pieter Fannes from action group Heroes for Zero on Twitter. “These were made for eternity, but have been replaced by these human-unfriendly monstrosities."
"Who is responsible for this architectural crime?" asked journalist Robin Ramaekers. "Too bad the warmth is gone," wrote someone else. "The new benches are ugly, period," concluded another.
The SNCB's response
The SNCB defended itself via Twitter that the old benches no longer fit in with "the changing expectations of our passengers and the societal challenges of tomorrow." And a SNCB spokesman said that the new benches were created "with the safety and comfort of passengers in mind."
The spokesperson emphasised that the renovation of the rest of the station, such as the renewed departures hall, had taken the original architecture into account as much as possible.
"We think that was successfully achieved in the station hall, but for the platforms we have indeed chosen to replace the benches. That's why we understand the comments that are coming now."
An ulterior motive?
However, there is no real explanation about the need for replacement. The metal seats on the platforms do have partitions. Sitting upright is therefore possible, lying out is not. A lot of commentary has focused on the "bullying away" of homeless people, who sometimes sleep outside on the benches.
"It's called defensive architecture, preventing people from sleeping on it," said writer Joost Vandecasteele via Twitter.
The station has been a popular refuge for homeless refugees for years, with many also spending the night there. In a recent study, homeless administration Bruss'Help counted an average of 30 people per night in the station building, including on the platforms.
"Since the beginning of this school year, we have noticed a stricter security policy from the SNCB in the North Station," says Bruss'Help director François Bertrand. "With both the new furniture and the Securail security officers, who ask people to leave more often."
The SNCB says that their politics have not changed and that the Securail agents are instructed to point homeless people towards better shelters in the city.
"They are in contact with the official aid organisations, for the well-being of those people themselves," said the SNCB spokesperson. "We don't think stations are the right place to spend the night, but it's never the intention to leave people to their fate."
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Whether the new benches are part of that policy, the SNCB has not said. In 2019, the benches in the large hall of the North Station were also replaced by individual seats, albeit in wood. There was not such a loud protest on that change at the time.
"Those new benches in the main hall were not suitable for outside," said the spokesperson. “So metal was chosen for there.” The travellers’ love for the original wooden benches was also evident in their quick sales. SNCB had given the benches to Rotor Deconstruction, a Brussels company that sells second-hand building materials. They were gone in no time.
"For the benches that have yet to be demolished, we still have to see what we do with them," SNCB concluded.
