De Brouckère metro station

De Brouckère is a rapid transit station located under the Place de Brouckère/De Brouckèreplein in central Brussels, Belgium. It consists of both a metro station (serving lines 1 and 5) and a premetro (underground tram) station (serving lines 4 and 10 on the North–South Axis between Brussels-North railway station and Albert premetro station). The station takes its name from that aboveground square, itself named after the former mayor of the City of Brussels, Charles de Brouckère.

De Brouckère metro station
General information
LocationPlace de Brouckère / De Brouckèreplein
1000 City of Brussels, Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium
Coordinates50°51′03″N 4°21′08″E / 50.85083°N 4.35222°E / 50.85083; 4.35222
Owned bySTIB/MIVB
Platforms2 (metro)
2 side platforms and 1 island platform (premetro)
Tracks2 (metro)
2 (premetro)
Connections
  Line 3
  Line 4
Construction
Structure typeUnderground
History
Opened17 December 1969; 55 years ago (1969-12-17) (premetro)
20 September 1976; 48 years ago (1976-09-20) (metro)
Services
Preceding station The icon for Brussels Metro. A white letter 'M' on top of a pink circle. Brussels Metro Following station
Sainte-Catherine/Sint-Katelijne Line 1 Gare Centrale/Centraal Station
Sainte-Catherine/Sint-Katelijne Line 5 Gare Centrale/Centraal Station
Brussels Premetro
North-South Axis
42555
Brussels-North
(Gare du Nord/Noordstation)
4
Rogier 26
De Brouckère 15
Bourse/Beurs
Anneessens-Fontainas
5182
Lemonnier
81
Brussels-South
(Gare du Midi/Zuidstation)
Eurostar 26
8182
Porte de Hal/Hallepoort 26
Parvis de Saint-Gilles/
Sint-Gillis Voorplein
Horta 8197
Albert
5134

The station opened on 17 December 1969 as a premetro station on the tram line between De Brouckère and Schuman. This station was upgraded to full metro status on 20 September 1976, serving former east–west line 1 (further split in 1982 into former lines 1A and 1B). Since 4 October 1976, the station has also accommodated North–South Axis premetro services at separate platforms. Then, following the reorganisation of the Brussels Metro on 4 April 2009, it is served by lines 1, 3, 4 and 5[1][2][3][4] Line 3 was disbanded in 2024 and replaced by the new line 10.[5]

History

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De Brouckère station was inaugurated on 17 December 1969 as a premetro station (i.e. a station served by underground tramways), as part of the first underground public transport route in Belgium, which initially stretched from De Brouckère to Schuman. On 20 September 1976, the premetro line was converted into a heavy metro line, which was later split into two distinct lines on 6 October 1982: former lines 1A and 1B, both serving De Brouckère. On 4 April 2009, metro operation was restructured and the station is now served by metro lines 1 and 5.[1][4]

Since 4 October 1976, De Brouckère has also been served by the North–South Axis, which is part of the premetro system. Lines 4 and 10 provide most service on that axis.[2][3]

Station

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The premetro station, located under the Place de Brouckère/De Brouckèreplein, is connected to the metro station by a moving walkway. The metro station is located under the Rue de l'Évêque/Bisschopstraat and was renovated in 2005.

The metro station serving lines 1 and 5 is known to have one of the widest gaps between the metro trains and the platform, as this station is curved to follow the alignment between the neighbouring stations Gare Centrale/Centraal Station and Sainte-Catherine/Sint-Katelijne. For safety reasons, the curved platform edges are equipped with flashing lights to warn passengers of the gap.

In 2004, a mural titled The City Moves in the Palm of My Hand was installed along the station's moving walkway. The mural was created by the artist Jan Vanriet and is printed on finished edge panels from PolyVision. The mural is designed to reflect the city's vibrancy and historical background.[6]

Area

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The station lies near the famous Hotel Metropole, the UGC De Brouckère cinema, the Royal Theatre of La Monnaie and one end of the Rue Neuve/Nieuwstraat, Belgium's second busiest shopping street.[7][8] The whole complex is also connected to the underground shopping galleries between the Place de la Monnaie/Muntplein and the Boulevard Anspach/Anspachlaan.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Line 1 direction GARE DE L'OUEST - stib-mivb.be". www.stib-mivb.be. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Line 3 direction ESPLANADE - stib-mivb.be". www.stib-mivb.be. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Line 4 direction GARE DU NORD - stib-mivb.be". www.stib-mivb.be. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
  4. ^ a b "Line 5 direction ERASME - stib-mivb.be". www.stib-mivb.be. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
  5. ^ "What's new on the network". STIB-MIVB. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
  6. ^ "De Brouckere Metro Station". PolyVision. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
  7. ^ "Rue Neuve most popular shopping street". www.xpats.com. 19 September 2013. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
  8. ^ "Meir klopt voor het eerst Nieuwstraat als drukste winkelstraat". De Standaard (in Flemish). 7 January 2013. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
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