Belgian railway company SNCB has announced it will renovate Etterbeek train station (which is officially located in the Brussels municipality of Ixelles) to make it more accessible for people with reduced mobility.
Etterbeek station is an important mobility hub and a gateway to the neighbouring university district, but due to its outdated infrastructure, the site is not very efficient or accessible.
Plans to change this have been on the drawing board for years, but on 13 July SNCB finally submitted an application for planning permission to the Brussels-Capital Region.
The station handles some 6,500 passengers on weekdays last year – especially students from the Brussels universities, VUB and ULB. For students and staff, the station is a crucial transport hub, but it has been struggling for years with large crowds at peak times because it has only one entrance.
SNCB had previously announced that it would invest €8 million in renovating Etterbeek station.
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As part of the project, the platforms will be renovated and a footbridge for pedestrians and cyclists will be built between Boulevard de la Plaine and Avenue de la Couronne. Lifts will also be installed to access the various platforms.
The building itself will also be renovated to give it a more modern look and the bicycle parking facilities will be renewed. The old passenger shelters on the platforms will be replaced. Work is set to start in 2025 and is expected to continue until 2029.
