Belgian railway operator SNCB organises an annual census of passenger numbers at the country's 554 railway stations. As has been the case for a while, Brussels' main railway stations were the busiest in 2023, but one stood out in particular.
Passenger counts last year were conducted from 30 September to 8 October. SNCB stressed that these are a snapshot that is not representative of the full year, and inevitably implies a margin of error. However, the figures do show that Brussels remains Belgium's rail hub by a significant margin. The country's three most-visited stations are all located in the region.
The image of Brussels-Midi station, which historically has not had the best reputation, was further damaged in the summer of 2023. Reports of rising crime levels and a general feeling of insecurity among locals and tourists made headlines for weeks. However, this has hardly damaged its position on the country's railway network.
It was the most visited station in Belgium last year. On a working day (from Monday to Friday), the station's average number of boarding passengers was 58,344. Including the number of passengers on Saturday (33,469) and Sunday (32,344), 357,533 visitors pass through the station on average in a week.
The station is likely ahead of the others in Brussels due to its position as an international hub for trains to London, Paris and other European cities.
Brussels Central station. Credit: Belga / Paul-Henri Verlooy
In second place was Brussels-Central, with an average of 58,877 passengers per day on a weekday, 26,916 on Saturday and 24,764 on Sunday, amounting to 346,065 on average per week.
In third place was Brussels North, with an average of 341,061 passengers per week: 60,449 on weekdays (a figure that is higher than the other two stations), but just 20,825 on Saturdays and 17,991 on Sundays.
The other stations in the region are significantly less busy: Brussels Chapelle sees just 244 boarding passengers on average on weekdays, while in Brussels Congress, this number stands at 541. Brussels Luxembourg and Schuman near the European Quarter count on average just over 38,500 and 40,500 per week, respectively. Around 35,000 people travel through Etterbeek station, on average.
The busiest station in Flanders was Ghent-Sint-Pieters (291,235), followed by Antwerp-Centraal (234,468) and Leuven (187,980). Brussels Airport in Zaventem sees on average 66,000 passengers per week.
In Wallonia, Liège-Guillemins is the busiest station with an average of almost 129,000 weekly passengers. Namur typically sees around 125,500 per week.
