Antwerp-South Railway Station and surroundings get makeover

The area around Antwerp-South Railway Station will be safer for pedestrians and cyclists, the City of Antwerp says in a press release. From the spring of 2024, the City of Antwerp will renew the pedestrian and cycle path along the Kolonel Silvertopstraat – Montignystraat axis up to Kielsevest, on the side of the station.

The cycle path will be redesigned as a two-way cycle path. All crossings, including those at the intersection with Desguinlei / Brusselstraat (Singel), will also be tackled. At the same time, the city will make bus stops and tram stops more accessible to everyone. In addition, it is designing the public space around the station as a smart link, in function of a smooth transfer between the different traffic modes. In this way, the city wants to improve road safety and the comfort of all road users in the vicinity of Antwerp-South station.

Koen Kennis (N-VA), alderman for Mobility: “The area around Antwerp-South station is a busy traffic junction, where thousands of people pass every day and use all traffic modes. In order to properly coordinate all those movements and make the environment future-proof, we are now thoroughly tackling the wider environment.”

The renovated footpaths will have a width that varies over their entire length from a minimum of 2 to more than 3 meters wide.

The two-way cycle paths will be 3 to 4 meters wide. In the Kolonel Silvertopstraat, the two-way cycle path will be 3 meters wide. At the level of the bridges, the pedestrian and cycle path will remain at their current width due to the existing bridge constructions. In addition, there will be a safety distance everywhere between the roadway and the cycle path. In addition, additional traffic lights will be installed on Kolonel Silvertopstraat, near the entrance to the Ring. Finally, they are all provided with markings for the visually impaired.

Renovation of the station

The renewal of the pedestrian and cycle paths is parallel to and coordinated with the renovation of the Antwerp-South station by the NMBS / SNCB. The NMBS /SNCB plans this implementation until 2025.

The City of Antwerp anticipates the start of its works in the spring of 2024 and hopes to complete them that autumn. They are coordinated with the Agency for Roads and Traffic (Agentschap Wegen en Verkeer, AWV), NMBS / SNCB and De Lijn.

Station as a smart link

The City of Antwerp wants to encourage the use and combination of sustainable modes of transport, including through the development of so-called ‘smart links’ or mobi points. The aim is to improve various mobility hubs in the coming years, including the vicinity of Antwerp- South station, with bicycle parking facilities, clear signage and recognizable signage, among other things.

Antwerp-South, 2025

Antwerp-South Railway Station will be a high-quality and integrally accessible mobility hub, Antwerp Tomorrow (Antwerpen Morgen) states in its presentation.

The NMBS, De Lijn, AWV, the intendant and the City are looking together at how they can improve the station access and surroundings of Antwerp-South in the short term. In this way, this station can develop into a comfortable and safe mobility hub for train, tram, bus and subsystems. This fits within the broader story of Ringpark Zuid. The new station entrance is the first part of the project that will be implemented.

The station is tucked away between the Singel and the Ring. It is located under the bridge of the Kolonel Silvertopstraat over the Ring and the railway.

Why this project?

The current layout and accessibility of Antwerp-South station is very outdated and no longer meets current standards. The station is also not fully accessible today and the current bicycle parking facilities are no longer sufficient for the number of commuters who take the train here every day. The station is also tucked away between the Singel and the Ring and under the bridge of the Kolonel Silvertopstraat.

With the refurbishment of the station, it will not only become fully accessible, but the quality and reception of travelers will also improve considerably.

Antwerp-South Station is the first project that will be implemented within the broader story of Ring Park South. Ringpark Zuid includes, among other things, the refurbishment of Knoop Zuid into a more compact, safer, multimodal traffic hub, the covering of the connection to the A12 and the realization of a new park on and along the junction.

This ambition is in line with the aim of the Antwerp Transport Region to have at least 50% of journeys made by foot, bicycle or public transport.

Antwerp-South station is currently served by three intercity connections (to Ostend, to Poperinge and to De Panne during school time and to Blankenberge in summertime) and three suburban S connections (Roosendaal – Puurs, Antwerp – Puurs, Antwerp – Saint Nicholas on school days, Antwerp – Lokeren, Dendermonde or Ghent) in both directions.

The number of travelers who take the train here grows every year, partly due to the proximity of the Palace of Justice and a university of applied sciences.

What is happening? A new bridge over the tracks

The current bridge will be considerably wider. For example, extra space will be created next to the Kolonel Silvertopstraat to make the station accessible to everyone in a fully-fledged and integral manner.

The platforms are accessible from this bridge via lifts and stairs. The new entrance to the station will be covered with a large continuous canopy. This canopy also houses a bicycle shed of ± 415 bicycle parking spaces, a waiting area and the ticket machines. New shelters on the platforms ensure that people can also wait comfortably for the train here.

NMBS / SNCB

First step of refurbishing Kolonel Silvertopstraat

In addition to redesigning the station entrance, the partners are investigating the possibilities of widening the current cycle path along the station, optimizing the tram and bus stop and making it more accessible, and making the intersection with the Singel more compact.

This as a first step towards the complete refurbishment of the Kolonel Silvertopstraat within the plans for Ringpark Zuid and the restructuring of the junction. In time, Antwerp South station and the surrounding area must develop into a comfortable and safe mobility hub for train, tram, bus and subsystems.

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