Gent-Sint-Pieters railway station

Gent-Sint-Pieters
Railway Station
Location	Koningin Maria Hendrikaplein, Ghent
Coordinates
Owned by	National Railway Company of Belgium
Line(s)	50, 50A, 58, 59, 75
Platforms	12
Other information
Station code	GSTP
History
Opened	1912

Gent-Sint-Pieters (or Ghent-Saint-Peter's in English) 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

File:Gent-Sint-Pieters railway station.JPG

Gent-Sint-Pieters railway station with the glass canopy.

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 entrance hall provides access to the 12 platforms. This gives the station its cross-form design. The original waiting rooms for second and third class now serve as a buffet and restaurant.

The station was classified in 1995. In 1996 the station was renovated, with the renovation of the interior of the western wing completed in 1998.

In the middle of 2007 the project entered a new phase to make the station more customer-oriented. The work is planned to be completed by 2022. This eventually will lead to the removal of several period features that are not part of the classified main building, like the platform canopies, waiting rooms, and the tunnel by P. Grondy.

In 2007, the tower at the entrance of the station has been renovated. In 2008 a new glass canopy was placed at the main entrance. In 2010, the murals of the main entrance hall have been renovated.

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

Train services

The station is served by the following services:

• Intercity services (IC-01) Ostend - Bruges - Ghent - Brussels - Leuven - Liege - Eupen
• Intercity services (IC-02) Ostend - Bruges - Ghent - Sint-Niklaas - Antwerpen
• Intercity services (IC-03) Knokke/Blankenberge - Bruges - Ghent - Brussels - Leuven - Genk
• Intercity services (IC-04) Lille/Poperinge - Kortrijk - Ghent - Sint-Niklaas - Antwerp
• Intercity services (IC-12) Kortrijk - Ghent - Brussels - Leuven - Liege - Welkenraedt (weekdays)
• Intercity services (IC-12) Kortrijk - Ghent (weekends)
• Intercity services (IC-20) Ghent - Aalst - Brussels - Hasselt - Tongeren (weekdays)
• Intercity services (IC-20) Ghent - Aalst - Brussels - Dendermonde - Lokeren (weekends)
• Intercity services (IC-23A) Bruges - Ghent - Brussels - Brussels Airport
• Intercity services (IC-28) Ghent - Sint-Niklaas - Antwerp (weekdays)
• Local services (L-02) Zeebrugge - Bruges - Ghent - Dendermonde - Mechelen (weekdays)
• Local services (L-02) Zeebrugge - Bruges - Ghent (weekends)
• Local services (L-05) Eeklo - Ghent - Oudenaarde - Ronse
• Local services (L-05) Eeklo - Ghent - Oudenaarde - Kortrijk (weekdays)
• Local services (L-25) Ghent - Zottegem - Geraardsbergen
• Local services (L-28) Ghent - Dendermonde - Mechelen (weekends)

Preceding station		NMBS		Following station
Brugge toward Oostende		IC 01		Bruxelles-Midi / Brussel-Zuid toward Eupen
Brugge toward Oostende		IC 02		Gent-Dampoort toward Antwerpen-Centraal
Aalter toward Blankenberge and Knokke		IC 03		Bruxelles-Midi / Brussel-Zuid toward Genk
Waregem toward Lille and Poperinge		IC 04		Gent-Dampoort toward Antwerpen-Centraal
De Pinte From Monday to Friday, except holidays toward Kortrijk		IC 12		Bruxelles-Midi / Brussel-Zuid From Monday to Friday, except holidays toward Welkenraedt
De Pinte On weekends and holidays toward Kortrijk				Terminus
Terminus		IC 20		Merelbeke From Monday to Friday, except holidays toward Tongeren
Terminus				Merelbeke On weekends and holidays toward Lokeren
Aalter toward Brugge		IC 23A		Bruxelles-Midi / Brussel-Zuid toward Brussels National Airport
Terminus		IC 28		Gent-Dampoort toward Antwerpen-Centraal
Drongen From Monday to Friday, except holidays toward Zeebrugge-Dorp		L 02		Merelbeke From Monday to Friday, except holidays toward Mechelen
Drongen On weekends and holidays toward Zeebrugge-Dorp				Terminus
Gentbrugge From Monday to Friday, except holidays toward Eeklo		L 05		De Pinte From Monday to Friday, except holidays toward Ronse and Kortrijk
				De Pinte On weekends and holidays toward Ronse
Terminus		L 25		Merelbeke toward Geraardsbergen
Terminus		L 28 weekends		Kwatrecht toward Mechelen

See also

• List of railway stations in Belgium

External links

• YouTube video of Ghent Sint Pieter's station