Ottignies railway station

Coordinates: 50°40′27″N 4°34′08″E / 50.67417°N 4.56889°E / 50.67417; 4.56889
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Ottignies
Coordinates50°40′27″N 4°34′08″E / 50.67417°N 4.56889°E / 50.67417; 4.56889
Owned bySNCB/NMBS
Operated bySNCB/NMBS
Line(s)139, 140, 161
Platforms5
Tracks10
Other information
Station codeLT
History
Opened14 June 1855; 168 years ago (1855-06-14)
Map
Location
Ottignies is located in Belgium
Ottignies
Ottignies
Location within Belgium

Ottignies railway station (

railway station in Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve, Walloon Brabant, Belgium.[1]

The station was opened in 1855 by the Grande Compagnie de Luxembourg, and from 1884, had a station building designed by the architect Charles Licot. This building was destroyed in 1996 and replaced by a new, modern and functional building inaugurated in 1999. In 2014, it was the second busiest station in Wallonia after Namur and before Liège-Guillemins, and the tenth-busiest in Belgium.

Ottignies is an important station on the

suburban (S), local (L), rush hour (P) and touristic (ICT) trains. The station is a keilbahnhof: it lies along railway line 161 (Brussels to Namur) and at the ends of railway lines 139 (Leuven to Ottignies) and 140 (Ottignies to Marcinelle). South of Ottignies, stroke line 161D goes to Louvain-la-Neuve
.

History

The 1855 station

The first station in Ottignies was opened on 14 June 1855 by the Grande Compagnie de Luxembourg, a few days after the opening of the section of track between La Hulpe and Gembloux of its railway from Brussels to Luxembourg. From August 1855, it became an important railway hub with the opening of the line from Charleroi to Leuven.

The 1884 station

In 1884, the temporary structures were replaced by a neoclassical building designed by the architect Charles Licot. Over the years, Licot's building was extensively modified.

The 1999 station

A project for a new station was considered in the 1980s. It was approved in 1991, with plans to demolish the existing station building and build a new one. Construction started in 1996 and the station opened in 1999. It is a postmodern concrete bicolour cross-shaped building with large windows.

Location

Lying at an altitude of 67 metres, Ottignies is a junction-point located at the

kilometric point (PK) 28.484 of the railway line 161 (Brussels to Namur)
between the stations of Profondsart and Mont-Saint-Guibert; at the PK 0.000 of the railway line 140 (Ottignies to Marcinelle), the next station on that line being Céroux-Mousty, and at the PK 28.935 of the railway line 139 (Leuven to Ottignies), the previous station being Limal.

Arranged in an X shape, Ottignies railway station has the particularity of having its passenger building located in the centre of the tracks. The first five tracks, used by trains operating on line 161 (and 161D) are located on the western side of the building. Tracks 6 and 8, generally used by trains operating on line 139, come to a dead-end right behind the station building. Track 7 is a siding. Tracks 9, 10 and 11 are located on the eastern side of the building and are used by the trains operating on line 140. Track 11 can only be used by trains operating on line 139 or 140. The tracks are numbered from the west.

Train services

The station is served by the following services:

  • Intercity services (IC-16) Brussels - Namur - Arlon - Luxembourg
  • Intercity services (IC-17) Brussels Airport - Brussels-Luxembourg - Namur - Dinant (weekdays)
  • Intercity services (IC-17) Brussels - Namur - Dinant (weekends)
  • Intercity services (IC-18) Brussels - Namur - Liège (weekdays)
  • Local services (L-08) Ottignies - Gembloux - Namur
  • Local services (L-14) Ottignies - Fleurus - Charleroi - Tamines - Namur - Jambes
  • Brussels RER services (S8) Brussels - Etterbeek - Ottignies - Louvain-la-Neuve
  • Brussels RER services (S20) Leuven - Wavre - Ottignies
  • Brussels RER services (S81) Schaarbeek - Brussels-Luxembourg - Etterbeek - Ottignies (weekdays, peak hours only)
Preceding station NMBS/SNCB Following station
Brussels-Luxembourg IC 16 Gembloux
towards Luxembourg
Brussels National Airport
IC 17
weekdays
Gembloux
towards Dinant
Etterbeek IC 17
weekends
IC 18
weekdays
Gembloux
Terminus L 08
Namur
Namur
Profondsart S 8 Louvain-la-Neuve
Limal
towards Leuven
S 20 Terminus
Profondsart
towards Schaarbeek
S 81
weekdays
  • Ottignies railway station as seen from outside the station
    Ottignies railway station as seen from outside the station
  • Ottignies train station as seen from a platform
    Ottignies train station as seen from a platform
  • Ottignies train station, looking down at the platforms from the North side
    Ottignies train station, looking down at the platforms from the North side
  • Tunnel connecting tracks on the South side
    Tunnel connecting tracks on the South side

See also

References

Footnotes

  1. ^ Officially Ottignies

Citations

  1. ^ "OTTIGNIES". www.belgianrail.be. Retrieved 5 November 2023.

External links