Charleroi-South railway station

Charleroi-South (French: Charleroi-Sud) is the main railway station serving Charleroi, Belgium. Charleroi-South is also the main TEC bus station in Charleroi, and a station of the Charleroi metro.

Charleroi-South
Railway Station
General information
LocationSquare des martyrs du 18 août, Charleroi
Coordinates50°24′17″N 4°26′19″E
Owned byNational Railway Company of Belgium
Line(s)117, 118, 124, 130, 130A, 132, 130, 140
Platforms12
History
Opened1843 (1843)

History
Charleroi-South railway station early 1900s.

The first railway connection to Charleroi is inaugurated in 1843, when the Belgian state railway company (Compagnie de l'État Belge) opens an indirect line from Brussels to Charleroi (via Braine-le-Comte), continuing to Namur.

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 vastly 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, took place in 1874. The current station building is inaugurated the same year. In 1949 the line to Brussels was electrified, making the second railway line in Belgium to be electrified after the Brussels to Antwerp line in 1935.

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.[1]

The station was served by a daily Thalys high speed service to Paris between 1998 and 31 March 2015.[2]

Train services

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)
  • 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

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

Metro station
Sud
General information
Tracks2
Construction
Platform levels1
ParkingYes
History
Opened21 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

The Charleroi-South pre-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 pre-metro.

Located at street level, Sud was a dead-end station until the opening of the last section of the central loop of the Charleroi metro, on February 27, 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 from the times the central loop was completed.

Bus station

The 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.

See also

References
  1. Didier Albin, "La nouvelle gare de Charleroi sera inaugurée ce week-end", Le Soir, Brussels, 23 June 2011.
  2. Article about final Thalys to Ostend
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