Work on the project to redevelop Ostend railway station started today with the demolition of the former foot-bridge overhanging the harbour dock, behind the station. The project will extend beyond the station building and the platforms. Not only will the railway station be redeveloped and renovated, but a new terminal for trains, buses and trams will also be constructed, the ferry terminal replaced, and a new bus and tram depot built in the port area. Consequently an area over 100,000m² in size will be upgraded.

Ostend railway station represents a major hub for Belgian domestic and international trains, as well as for the coastal tram and a number of De Lijn buses. Thousands of passengers pass through the station each day, including many motorists, pedestrians and cyclists. This figure continues to rise given passengers’ increasing predilection for public transport.

“Stations today constitute dynamic hubs, real melting pots of society,” stated Jannie Haek, CEO of SNCB-Holding. “But a station such as Ostend represents a focal point for multiple traffic flows and activities that we wish to coordinate better in future. As a driving force behind network mobility, SNCB-Holding wishes to develop innovative solutions in collaboration with all its partners. We think that future mobility will be characterised by networked mobility where everyone will be free to choose the form of mobility – whether train, bicycle, tram, bus, (electric) car, car-share or bike-share schemes – which best meets their needs at the time.”