SNCB submits plans for Etterbeek station overhaul

Belgian rail operator SNCB has submitted a permit application to conduct extensive renovations of Etterbeek station, a popular stop for students.

Etterbeek station is an important mobility hub and gateway to the neighbouring university district, but due to its outdated infrastructure, efficiency and accessibility are both issues.

Plans to change this have been on the table for years, but the SNCB has now finally submitted an application for planning permission to the Brussels region.

Etterbeek station – which is actually just across the border in Ixelles – handled some 6,500 passengers per week last year, many of those VUB and ULB students.

One of the most obvious issues with the station, considering the high number of passengers it serves, is the fact that it only has one entrance with access to all four platforms. For people with disabilities, the station is also particularly poorly accessible.

The SNCB plans to spend €8 million on renovation works, including redoing the platforms and adding a pedestrian and cyclist bridge that will connect Avenue de la Plaine with Avenue de la Couronne.

The station building will also be renovated and the bicycle parking facilities renewed, with old passenger shelters on the platforms replaced by canopies.

The works are planned between 2025 and 2029 and an SNCB spokesperson said the intention is that the station will remain in use during the renovations.