Charleroi-Central railway station

Railway station in Hainaut, Belgium

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Charleroi-Central

Railway Station

Charleroi-Central railway station

General information
Location| Square des Martyrs du 18 août,
6000 Charleroi
Belgium
Coordinates| 50°24′17″N 4°26′19″E﻿ / ﻿50.40472°N 4.43861°E﻿ / 50.40472; 4.43861
Owned by| SNCB/NMBS
Operated by| SNCB/NMBS
Line(s)| 117, 118, 124, 130, 130A, 132, 130, 140
Platforms| 11
Tracks| 12
Other information
Station code| FCR
History
Opened| 1843; 182 years ago (1843)
Previous names| Charleroi-South

Location

Charleroi-Central

Location within Belgium

Show map of Belgium

Charleroi-Central

Charleroi-Central (Europe)

Show map of Europe

Charleroi-Central railway station (French: Gare de Charleroi-Central; Dutch: Station Charleroi-Centraal)[a] is the main railway station serving Charleroi, Hainaut, Belgium. It is operated by the National Railway Company of Belgium (SNCB/NMBS). It was formerly called Charleroi-South railway station (French: Gare de Charleroi-Sud; Dutch: Station Charleroi-Zuid)[b] until December 2022.[1]

Charleroi-Central is also the main TEC bus station in Charleroi, and a station of the Charleroi Metro.

## History

[edit]

### Early history

[edit]

Charleroi-South railway station in the early 20th century

The first railway connection to Charleroi was inaugurated in 1843, when the Belgian State Railways (Chemins de fer de l'État Belge) opened an indirect line from Brussels to Charleroi (via Braine-le-Comte), continuing to Namur. On 23 October 1843, a train stopped for the first time in Charleroi. At this time, the station was not more than a temporary building along the rails at the north-west of the actual site. In 1848, the Compagnie de l'Entre Sambre et Meuse to Walcourt and Morialmé opened, to support local extractive industries. In 1852, the Compagnie du Nord-Belge opened to connect Charleroi with its northern French network, via Erquelinnes. In 1855, the Compagnie du Grand Central Belge to Ottignies also opened.

The opening of the current more direct line to Brussels, via Nivelles and Luttre, took place in 1874. The current station building was inaugurated in October the same year after nine years of works. The building is in neoclassical style and the use of innovative materials such as iron and glass at the time gave it an avant-garde style. The building is a continuation of the work of A.P.J. Lambeau, principal engineer for the Ministry of Railways, who also designed the stations at Namur (1864), Liège-Guillemins (1870), and Mons (1870).[2] In 1949, the line to Brussels was electrified, making the second railway line in Belgium to be electrified after the Brussels–Antwerp line in 1935.

### 21st century

[edit]

The station was served by a daily Thalys high-speed rail service to Paris between 1998 and 31 March 2015.[3] In June 2011, after seven years of work, the renovated station was inaugurated. Renovation included the exterior of the 1874 building, the interior (including a new shopping gallery), tunnels, as well as the square in front of the station.[4]

In 2021, work began to improve accessibility to the station. It will include the installation of lifts to access each platform. The station will now be fully accessible to persons with reduced mobility. New ticket offices will be installed, the platform shelters will be modernised and a brand new corridor will be built under the tracks.[5]

## Train services

[edit]

The station is served by the following services:

* Intercity services (IC-05) Antwerp - Mechelen - Brussels - Nivelles - Charleroi (weekdays)
* Intercity services (IC-19) Lille - Tournai - Saint-Ghislain - Mons - Charleroi - Namur
* Intercity services (IC-24) Charleroi - Walcourt - Mariembourg - Couvin
* Intercity services (IC-25) Mons - Charleroi - Namur - Huy - Liege (weekdays)
* Intercity services (IC-25) Mouscron - Tournai - Saint-Ghislain - Mons - Charleroi - Namur - Huy - Liege - Liers (weekends)
* Intercity services (IC-27) Brussels Airport - Brussels-Luxembourg - Nivelles - Charleroi (weekdays)
* Intercity services (IC-31) Antwerp - Mechelen - Brussels - Nivelles - Charleroi (weekends)
* Intercity services (K82) Maubeuge - Charleroi - Namur
* Local services (L-06) Luttre - Manage - La Louvière - Charleroi (weekdays)
* Local services (L-06) Manage - La Louvière - Charleroi (weekends)
* Local services (L-06A) Manage - Luttre - Charleroi (weekends)
* Local services (L-07) Erquelinnes - Lobbes - Charleroi
* Local services (L-14) Ottignies - Fleurus - Charleroi - Tamines - Namur - Jambes

Preceding station  |  NMBS/SNCB | Following station

|
|

Marchienne-au-Pont

towards Antwerpen-Centraal

|  | IC 05

weekdays

|  | Terminus
La Louvière-Sud

towards Lille-Flandres

|  | IC 19 |  | Tamines

towards Namur

Berzée

towards Couvin

|  | IC 24

weekdays

|  | Terminus
Jamioulx

towards Couvin

|  | IC 24

weekends

Marchienne-au-Pont

towards Mons

|  | IC 25

weekdays

|  | Châtelet (B)

towards Herstal

Marchienne-au-Pont

towards Mouscron

|  | IC 25

weekends

|  | Châtelet (B)

towards Liers

Marchienne-au-Pont

towards Brussels National Airport

|  | IC 27

weekdays

|  | Terminus
Marchienne-au-Pont

towards Antwerpen-Centraal

|  | IC 31

weekends

Marchienne-au-Pont

towards Luttre

|  | L 06

weekdays

Marchienne-au-Pont

towards Manage

|  | L 06

weekends

| L 06A

weekends

Marchienne-Zone

towards Erquelinnes

|  | L 07 |
Charleroi-West

towards Ottignies

|  | L 14 |  | Couillet

towards Jambes

Preceding station  | TER Hauts-de-France | Following station
Maubeuge

Terminus

|  | Krono

K82

|  | Namur

Terminus

In addition to the above services, additional peak time trains are scheduled on weekdays (mornings and end of afternoons).

## Metro station

[edit]

Sud

General information
Tracks| 2
Construction
Platform levels| 1
Parking| Yes
History
Opened| 21 June 1976
Services
| Preceding station  | Charleroi Metro | Following station

|
|

Villette

One-way operation

|  | M1 |  | Tirou

towards Monument

Villette

towards Monument

|  | M2 |  | Tirou

One-way operation

Villette

towards Faubourg de Bruxelles

|  | M3 |
Villette

One-way operation

|  | M4 |  | Tirou

towards Soleilmont

Charleroi-South metro station, simply known as South (French: Sud) on network maps, was opened in 1976. Along with Vilette, Sud was the first station to enter service on the Charleroi Metro.

Located at street level, Sud was a terminus station until the opening of the last section of the central loop of the Charleroi Metro, on 27 February 2012. The station features a balloon loop from the times it was a terminus, allowing vehicles entering it from the west to reverse. It is unused since the central loop's completion.

## Bus station

[edit]

Charleroi-South bus station is the main TEC bus transfer point in Charleroi. An express bus line (line A) serves the Brussels South Charleroi Airport.

## Gallery

[edit]

* View of the platforms

* View of the platforms and tracks

* Place name sign on a platform

## See also

[edit]

* Belgium portal

* List of railway stations in Belgium
* Rail transport in Belgium

## References

[edit]

### Footnotes

[edit]

1. ^ Officially Charleroi-Central (French: Charleroi-Central; Dutch: Charleroi-Centraal)
2. ^ Officially Charleroi-Sud (French: Charleroi-Sud; Dutch: Charleroi-Zuid)

### Citations

[edit]

1. ^ "CHARLEROI-SUD". www.belgianrail.be. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
2. ^ Evelyne Michel,Veronique Piraux "La gare de Charleroi-Sud",Collections SNCB-Holding, Brussels, June 2011.
3. ^ Article about final Thalys to Ostend
4. ^ Didier Albin, "La nouvelle gare de Charleroi sera inaugurée ce week-end", Le Soir, Brussels, 23 June 2011.
5. ^ Malik Hadrich, "Un chantier démarre à la gare de Charleroi-Sud et il va durer quelques années", 7sur7, Antwerpen, 15 March 2021.

## External links

[edit]

* Media related to Charleroi-Central train station at Wikimedia Commons
* Official station page at the SNCB website
* Real time departures
* Real time arrivals

* v
* t
* e

Charleroi Metro lines and stations

M1|

* Monument
* Route de la station
* Jonction
* Route de Thuin
* Surchiste
* Coron du berger
* Pétria
* Fontaine
* Paradis
* Leernes
* Morgnies
* Moulin
* De Cartier
* Providence
* Dampremy
* Piges
* Ouest
* Villette
* Gare Central
* Sambre
* Tirou
* Parc
* Janson
* Waterloo
* Palais

M2|

* Monument
* Route de la station
* Jonction
* Route de Thuin
* Surchiste
* Coron du berger
* Pétria
* Fontaine
* Paradis
* Leernes
* Morgnies
* Moulin
* De Cartier
* Providence
* Dampremy
* Piges
* Palais
* Waterloo
* Janson
* Parc
* Tirou
* Sambre
* Gare Central
* Villette
* Ouest

M3|

* Faubourg de Bruxelles
* Rue du Chemin de Fer
* Emailleries
* City Nord
* Chausée de Fleurus
* Carrosse
* Madeleine
* Rue Berteau
* Chaussée de Gilly
* Puissant
* Saint Antoine
* Marie Curie
* Deschassis
* La Planche
* Sacré Madame
* Piges
* Palais
* Waterloo
* Janson
* Parc
* Tirou
* Sambre
* Gare Central
* Villette
* Ouest

M4|

* Soleilmont
* Sart-Culpart
* Marabout
* Gilly
* Gazomètre
* Samaritaine
* Waterloo
* Palais
* Ouest
* Villette
* Gare Central
* Sambre
* Tirou
* Parc
* Janson

M5|

* Neuville
* Chet
* Pensée
* Centenaire
* Champeau
* Léopold

* v
* t
* e

Charleroi

Areas|

* Couillet
* Dampremy
* Gilly
* Gosselies
* Goutroux
* Jumet
* Lodelinsart
* Marchienne-au-Pont
* Marcinelle
* Monceau-sur-Sambre
* Mont-sur-Marchienne
* Montignies-sur-Sambre
* Ransart
* Roux

Landmarks|

* Aéropole Science Park
* Stolpersteine in Charleroi

Transport|

* Brussels South Charleroi Airport
* Métro Léger de Charleroi
* Lines and Stations
* Charleroi-South railway station
* Charleroi-West railway station

Education|

* UCLouvain Charleroi
* Athénée Royal Vauban

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