I was at the Vilvoorde Station in Belgium as I intended to visit the Karmelietten Zusters (Carmelite Sisters).
The main Vilvoorde Rail station is beautiful and opened on May 5, 1835 on Lines 25 and 27. The train services are operated bu National Railway Company of Belgium (NMBS)
I was saddened by the present status of the Vilvoorde Railroad Station, but you can see the glory and the beauty from a distant past.
From Wikipedia on Station Vilvoorde, this is what I gathered although, I had to translate the text from Dutch to English.
Vilvoorde station is a railway station along railway line 25 and 27 (Brussels-Antwerp) in the city of Vilvoorde. It is a station on the very first public railway on the European continent. The station building is at street level and the platforms are in height. The station building was built in 1882 and is built in neo-Flemish renaissance style. Since 1975 it is a protected monument. Currently (2014) is the drive capable of far-reaching decline. In particular the passage and the platforms are poorly maintained: the paint exfoliates, the cast iron parts show rust and the tiling is damaged. Originally there was a renovation scheduled for the summer of 2014.
However, the SNCB had to postpone this project; If reason were the cuts by the Government-Michel argued. [2] Mayor Hans Bonte contemplating legal steps to enforce a renovation. [3]
According to a friend, Dr. Van Steen who is also from Vilvoorde, the station is part of a larger Brussels rail project which includes Vilvoorde which is just adjacent to Brussels. Renovation is not done while waiting for the project to come into being, thus, further postponement of the project resulted to continuing decay of the station.
Although, the station looks bleak, I was happy that even if I went home near midnight, the place was still safe.
I do hope that Vilvoorde Station would regain its beauty and character in the near future.
Vilvoorde station is a railway station along railway line 25 and 27 (Brussels-Antwerp) in the city of Vilvoorde. It is a station on the very first public railway on the European continent. The station building is at street level and the platforms are in height. The station building was built in 1882 and is built in neo-Flemish renaissance style. Since 1975 it is a protected monument. Currently (2014) is the drive capable of far-reaching decline. In particular the passage and the platforms are poorly maintained: the paint exfoliates, the cast iron parts show rust and the tiling is damaged. Originally there was a renovation scheduled for the summer of 2014.
However, the SNCB had to postpone this project; If reason were the cuts by the Government-Michel argued. [2] Mayor Hans Bonte contemplating legal steps to enforce a renovation. [3]
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| rusty cast iron parts |
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| exfoliated paint, damaged tiling and rusty iron |
Although, the station looks bleak, I was happy that even if I went home near midnight, the place was still safe.
I do hope that Vilvoorde Station would regain its beauty and character in the near future.
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