Map of the railway (shown in bold black) in relation to the other Brussels railway lines
The North-South connection is a railway link through the centre of Brussels, Belgium, that connects the major national and international railway stations in the city. It is line 0 (zero) of the Belgian rail network. With 1200 trains a day it's probably the busiest railway in Belgium but significantly less busy than the busiest station in Europe, Clapham Junction in London, which typically sees 2000 trains a day, the majority of which stop.
It has six tracks and is used principally for passenger trains. It is partially underground (around Brussels Central station) and partially raised above street level.
The idea of an underground railway line linking the city's two main railway stations was first suggested in the 1860s as part of a proposal for the covering of the Senne. That proposal was never effected. The current version was planned before World War II, after a decision originally made in 1909, and it came into service on October 5, 1952.
The stations on the line, from north to south, are:
Brussels North (French: Bruxelles-Nord (STIB: Gare du Nord), Dutch: Brussel-Noord (MIVB: Noordstation))
Brussels Congress (French: Bruxelles-Congrès, Dutch: Brussel-Congres)
Brussels Central (French: Bruxelles-Central (STIB: Gare Centrale), Dutch: Brussel-Centraal (MIVB: Centraal Station))
Brussels South (French: Bruxelles-Midi (STIB: Gare du Midi), Dutch: Brussel-Zuid (MIVB: Zuidstation)) (the Eurostar, Thalys, TGV and ICE international terminal)
Most national (inter-city and local) trains that use the line stop at North, Central and South stations. International services (including Thalys and ICE) using the line normally stop only at the international terminal of Brussels South. Congress and Chapel stations are served by a limited number of trains during weekday working hours only.
The line is used by very few freight trains. To avoid further congestion, most freight traffic crossing between the north and south of Brussels is routed instead along either line 26, to the east (Halle to Vilvoorde, via Merode)1, or along line 28, to the west (Brussels South to Bockstael via Gare de l'Ouest and Simonis).2
The stations of Brussels North and Brussels South are also linked by the premetro north-south axis, which runs through the city centre to the west of the railway line. This underground tramway (historically known as 'line 3') is part of the Brussels Metro network.
The North-South connection was selected as the main motif of a very high value collectors' coin: the Belgian 50th Anniversary of the North-South connection commemorative coin, minted in 2002. The obverse front side shows a train coming out of the North-South connection tunnel, it being one of the most famous rail links in Belgium. On the coin is written the words “Noord-Zuidverbinding Jonction Nord-Midi” (North-South connection in Dutch and French) and the years 1952 (representing the opening of the connection) and 2002.
Plaque at Brussels Central commemorating the opening (panel 1)
Plaque at Brussels Central commemorating the opening (panel 2)
