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Antwerp-Linkeroever Railway Station to be renovated during the 2026 spring half-term and to open in May

Posted by Timothy on

In the spring half-term (Krokusvakantie) of 2026, Belgian railway infrastructure manager Infrabel will refurbish the derelict Antwerp-Linkeroever (Left Bank) railway station. The station must be ready to receive passengers when Flemish tram and bus company De Lijn closes the tram tunnel beneath the Scheldt in May. 

No trains have stopped at this station since 1982, and that situation will return once trams resume running under the river.

In mid-February 2026, during the week-long spring half-term, Infrabel has scheduled a full five-day line closure on line 59, the railway between Antwerp-Berchem and Ghent-Dampoort. 

Between 16 and 20 February 2026, the infrastructure manager will carry out several repair works and no trains will run on that stretch. Infrabel will use this opportunity to bring Linkeroever station back into a condition suitable for passenger use. The station is currently neglected and overgrown.

Antwerp’s Alderman for Mobility Koen Kennis (N-VA), requested two years ago that NMBS / SNCB and Infrabel reopen the station, which has not been used since 1984. The aim is to provide a temporary alternative during the closure of tram services between the left and right banks of Antwerp. The tram tunnel will undergo necessary maintenance from May onwards, and initial indications suggest the work will last longer than the planned seven months.

Senior political figures in the same party, including Prime Minister Bart De Wever and Flemish Mobility Minister Annick De Ridder, have supported the initiative. De Wever brought together the relevant ministers and the top leadership of NMBS / SNCB and De Lijn at his official residence, stressing the importance of reopening the Linkeroever station. 

NMBS / SNCB subsequently agreed and announced this summer that the hourly stopping service between S34 Antwerp and Dendermonde (Termonde) will call at the station in both directions from May 2026. During peak hours, trains on this line will offer capacity for 560 passengers instead of the usual 280. On weekdays, the hourly intercity service between Antwerp and De Panne (La Panne) will also stop at the station.

The station, which opened in 1970, is located near the Gazet van Antwerpen offices at the end of Katwilgweg. A busy link road between the E17 and E34 motorways once ran between the Katwilgweg and the railway, but this has since been removed. 

On Thursday afternoon, excavation works were underway on the site. Plans include parking for cars and shared bicycles. The location is less convenient for residents of central Linkeroever, as it is a 30-minute walk from the Frederik Van Eeden metro station, but it is well positioned for the newer Regatta district.

Works on the station infrastructure itself will begin during the spring half-term. The stairways leading to the platforms are heavily damaged and will require replacement, and the platforms also need extensive cleaning and refurbishment. 

Infrabel says the station will be ready when tram services are suspended in May. The stop — essentially a modest halt rather than a full station — was in service for only fourteen years. NMBS /SNCB closed it in 1984 because fewer than 200 passengers boarded or alighted there each day. After 42 years, it will reopen, but only temporarily; once trams resume running under the Scheldt, trains will cease stopping there again.

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