Gent-Sint-Pieters railway station

Infobox Belgian railway station


opening=1912
telegraphiccode=FGSP
lines=50 - 50A - 58 - 59 - 75
platforms=12
aricode=1000455

Gent-Sint-Pieters is the main railway station in Ghent and – depending upon the measure used – the second or third busiest railway station in Belgium. Its NMBS/SNCB internal code is "FGSP".

History

The origins of the railway station is a small station on the line Ghent-Ostend in 1881. At that time the main railway station of Ghent was the South railway station built in 1837. At the occasion of the 1913 world exhibition in Ghent, a new Sint-Pieters railway station was built. It was designed by architect Louis Cloquet and finished in 1912 just before the World Exhibition.

The station is built in an eclectic style with a long corridor dividing the building in its length which provides access to diverse facilities. A tunnel (designed by ir. P. Grondy) starting from the income hall provides access to the 12 platforms. This gives the station its cross-form design.The original waiting rooms for second and third class are now serving as a buffet and restaurant.

The station was classified in 1995.Since 1996 the station is being renovated, with in 1998 the renovation of the interior of the western wing.

In the middle of 2007 the project as a result of which the station pieces will become more customer-oriented, has started. After the work the station will be one of the safest and most customer-oriented stations of the world. The work is planned to be finished in 2016.

In 2007, the tower at the entrance of the station has been renovated.