Charleroi-South railway station

Charleroi-South Railway Station
Station statistics
Address	Square des martyrs du 18 août, Charleroi
Coordinates	50°24′17″N 4°26′19″E / 50.40472°N 4.43861°E / 50.40472; 4.43861Coordinates: 50°24′17″N 4°26′19″E / 50.40472°N 4.43861°E / 50.40472; 4.43861
Lines	117, 118, 124, 130, 130A, 132, 130, 140
Platforms	12
Other information
Opened	1843 (1843)
Owned by	National Railway Company of Belgium

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.

History

• 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.

• 1848 : opening of a line by the Compagnie de l'Entre Sambre et Meuse to Walcourt and Morialmé, to support local extractive industries.

• 1852 : opening of a line by the Compagnie du Nord Belge to connect Charleroi with its Northern French network, via Erquelinnes.

• 1855 : opening of a line by the Compagnie du Grand Central Belge to Ottignies.

• 1874 : opening of the current more direct line to Brussels, via Nivelles. The current station building is inaugurated the same year.

• 1949 : the line to Brussels is electrified, making the second railway line in Belgium to be electrified after the Brussels to Antwerp line in 1935.

• June 2011 : after 7 years of works, the renovated station is inaugurated. Renovation includes 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]

Rail station

Preceding station	Service type	Following station	Frequency (weekdays)	Frequency (weekends and holidays)
Namur Toward Liège-Guillemins	Thalys	Mons Toward Paris-Nord	Once a day	Once a day
La Louvière-South Toward Lille-Flandres	IC D	Tamines Toward Herstal	1 per hour	(see below)
Marchienne-au-Pont Toward Lille-Flandres	IC D	Châtelet Toward Liège-Palais	(see above)	1 per hour
Terminus	IC I	Luttre Toward Antwerp-Central Via Brussels	1 per hour	(see below)
Terminus	IC I	Marchienne-au-Pont Toward Antwerp-Central Via Brussels	(see above)	1 per hour
Terminus	IC N	Marchienne-au-Pont Toward Essen Via Brussels	1 per hour	(no service)
Châtelet Toward Jambes	IR k	Marchienne-au-Pont Toward Tournai	1 per hour	(no service)
Terminus	IR r	Berzée Toward Couvin	Approx. 1 per hour	(no service)
Terminus	Local (L)	Marchienne-au-Pont Toward Braine-le-Comte	1 per hour	(no service)
Terminus	Local (L)	Marchienne-au-Pont Toward La Louvière-South	(no service)	1 every 2 hours
Terminus	Local (L)	Marchienne-au-Pont Toward Mons	1 per hour	1 every 2 hours
Charleroi-West Toward Ottignies	Local (L)	Couillet Toward Tamines	1 per hour	(no service)
Terminus	Local (L)	Charleroi-West Toward Ottignies	(no service)	1 every 2 hours
Terminus	Local (L)	Châtelet Toward Namur	(no service)	1 every 2 hours
Terminus	Local (L)	Marchienne-Zône Toward Erquelinnes	Approx. 1 per hour	1 every 2 hours
Terminus	Local (L)	Jamioulx Toward Couvin	Approx. 1 every 2 hours	Approx. 1 every 2 hours

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

Sud
Station statistics
Levels	1
Tracks	2
Parking	Yes
Other information
Opened	21 June 1976
Services
Preceding station   Charleroi Pre-metro   Following station Terminus Line 54 Villette toward Gilly Terminus Line 89 Villette toward Anderlues

Metro station

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 is a dead-end station, although this will change when current works to finish the central loop of the network are completed in December 2011.^[2]

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

• List of railway stations in Belgium

References

1. ^ Didier Albin, "La nouvelle gare de Charleroi sera inaugurée ce week-end", Le Soir, Brussels, 23 June 2011.
2. ^ "Le métro léger de Charleroi accuse un lourd retard", Sud Presse, Charleroi, 29 June 2011.

External links

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