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PHOTOS | This is Antwerp-Linkeroever Railway Station in 2026

Posted by Timothy on

For the first time in more than four decades, trains are once again stopping on Antwerp’s Left Bank. The reopening of Antwerp-Linkeroever Railway Station on Saturday 2 May 2026 marks the return of rail services to a part of the city that has long depended almost entirely on trams, buses and tunnels for its connection with the historic centre on the opposite bank of the Scheldt. Although the station has reopened only temporarily, the event carries considerable symbolic and practical importance, reconnecting Linkeroever to Belgium’s national railway network after 42 years of silence.

In Dutch, the station is called Station Antwerpen-Linkeroever. Linkeroever is not only the Left Bank of the Scheldt, it’s also a neighbourhood. In French, it becomes Gare d’Anvers-Rive Gauche. Doesn’t it sound posh? In German it’s Bahnhof Antwerpen-Linker Ufer. In English Antwerp-Left Bank Railway Station, but I use Linkeroever for SEO and being recognisable. If I continue this little exercise, it’s Estación de Amberes-Margen Izquierda or Estación de Amberes-Ribiera Izquierda (Oriol‘s preferred translation). In Italian, a working language of the UIC, it’s Stazione di Anversa-Riva Sinistra. How sinister! One extra? In Greek it’s Σταθμός της Αμβέρσας-Αριστερής Όχθης.

On the way to the station.

Major works to the premetro tunnel

The reopening is directly linked to one of the largest public transport disruptions Antwerp has faced in recent years: the almost eleven-month closure of the Brabotunnel (premetro tunnel) between May 2026 and March 2027. During the renovation works, several key tram routes connecting the Left Bank with the city centre are suspended, affecting thousands of daily commuters who normally rely on tram lines 3, 5, 9 and 15 to cross the Scheldt. 

In response and under pressure from several levels of government, Belgian rail operator NMBS / SNCB and infrastructure manager Infrabel developed a series of ‘less inconvenience‘ mobility measures designed to maintain public transport links between both riverbanks. Among these measures, the reopening of Antwerp-Linkeroever station quickly emerged as the most visible and ambitious initiative.

Transforming an abandoned site

The station’s return required a remarkable transformation. Until early 2026, the site at Katwilgweg remained largely abandoned, a forgotten remnant of Antwerp’s railway history. Overgrown platforms, deteriorated infrastructure and an ageing pedestrian bridge were all that remained of the station that had closed in 1984. 

Beginning during the February school holidays of 2026, intensive works were carried out to make the site operational once more.

The platforms were completely renovated and raised to the modern Belgian standard height of 76 centimetres to allow level boarding onto trains. The pedestrian bridge crossing the tracks was refurbished, new lighting was installed throughout the station, digital information screens and ticket machines were added, and surveillance cameras were placed to improve security. Shelters and benches were installed to make the waiting environment more comfortable for passengers.

The reopening also included substantial improvements to the surrounding public realm. The cycle path along Katwilgweg was resurfaced to provide better access to the station from the surrounding neighbourhoods. Bicycle parking for more than 200 bicycles was created, alongside parking spaces for around the same number of cars. A Velo bike-sharing station was also installed, integrating the station into Antwerp’s wider mobility network.

Bus line 36 was rerouted to stop directly opposite the station, linking it with the heart of Linkeroever via Blancefloerlaan and providing connections to Frederik van Eedenplein, the St Anne’s Pedestrian Tunnel and the Scheldt ferry services.

Bike facilities.

Accessibility challenges remain

Despite these upgrades, the temporary nature of the project imposed limitations. The station is not autonomously accessible for passengers with reduced mobility because no lifts were installed. Access to the platforms is only possible via the pedestrian bridge, making travel difficult for wheelchair users and passengers with rollators.

Tactile paving and guidance lines were added for blind and visually impaired travellers, but the lack of lifts remained one of the principal criticisms of the project. NMBS / SNCB defended the decision by pointing to the temporary character of the station reopening and the limited timeframe available to complete the works before the premetro tunnel closure.

There is a ticket vending machine, which works just fine.

New train services across the Scheldt

Operationally, the reopened station significantly changes mobility patterns on the Left Bank during the tunnel closure. On weekdays, two trains per hour stop in each direction. These services consist of an S34 suburban train between Dendermonde (Termonde) and Antwerp-Central Railway Station and an intercity service connecting De Panne (La Panne), Ghent St Peter’s and Antwerp-Central.

During school holidays, the weekday frequency is reduced to one intercity train per hour, while weekends are served by one S34 train per hour in each direction. During peak hours, NMBS / SNCB doubled the seating capacity of the S34 trains from 280 to 560 seats and extended operating hours until 23:00 (11 PM) to accommodate increased passenger demand.

Travel times are expected to make the station particularly attractive. The rail journey between Antwerp-Central and Linkeroever takes approximately 16 minutes, offering a fast and reliable alternative to the disrupted tram network. For commuters travelling between the Waasland region and Antwerp, the station creates an additional interchange point that had disappeared from the network decades earlier.

One of the most important measures accompanying the reopening concerns ticket integration. 

Holders of De Lijn public transport subscriptions are allowed to travel free of charge on trains between the stations of Beveren, Melsele, Zwijndrecht, Antwerp-Linkeroever, Antwerp-South, Antwerp-Berchem and Antwerp-Centraal, provided they meet specific registration conditions. This integration between regional public transport and the national railway network reflects a broader effort to encourage modal shift and reduce congestion during the premetro closure.


Bus stop for bus 36.

The long railway history of Linkeroever

The reopening of Antwerp-Linkeroever station is deeply rooted in the long and complex railway history of Antwerp’s Left Bank. The origins of the station date back to 3 November 1844, when a station known as Vlaams Hoofd (Flemish Head) opened along railway line 59 between Antwerp and Ghent. Remarkably, this original railway line was built to an unusual narrow gauge of 1151 millimetres rather than standard gauge.

The station formed part of a strategic connection between Antwerp and the Waasland region at a time when the Scheldt still represented a significant barrier to urban expansion. For almost a century, the station was closely tied to ferry transport across the river. Between 1844 and 1933, ferry services linked the Left Bank station with Antwerp-Waas Railway Station on the right bank.

Following the annexation of the Vlaams Hoofd area by the City of Antwerp, the station was renamed Antwerp-West between 1923 and 1935. After the opening of the St Anne’s Pedestrian Tunnel beneath the Scheldt in 1933, the station was modernised and renamed Antwerp-Linkeroever in 1935.

The temporary stairs feel a bit tricky. The steps look made in concrete, but they’re not.

Closure and decades of abandonment

The first major transformation came in 1970. On 1 February of that year, the original station near Beatrijslaan closed and a newer stop was opened further west at Katwilgweg, the site still used today. During its construction, the station was briefly known as Linkeroever-West.

However, changing mobility patterns and the rapid expansion of Antwerp’s tram and premetro network gradually reduced the importance of the railway stop. Passenger numbers declined and the station was eventually closed on 3 June 1984.

For decades afterwards, the abandoned platforms remained visible beside the railway line as a ghost station on the edge of the city. The concrete pedestrian bridge crossing the tracks became one of the few surviving reminders that passenger trains had once stopped there.

Urban planners and mobility experts periodically raised the possibility of reopening the station permanently, particularly in the context of Antwerp’s Routeplan 2030 and the Strategic Spatial Plan for Antwerp. These long-term planning documents suggested that Linkeroever could eventually benefit from a permanent rail connection as the district continued to grow residentially and economically.

The station in 2005. Photo courtesy of Jeroen Weckers.

A test for the future

The temporary reopening in 2026 therefore serves a dual purpose. On the one hand, it is a practical emergency solution to compensate for the closure of the premetro tunnel. On the other hand, it acts as a real-world test case to evaluate whether there is sufficient long-term demand for a permanent railway station on Antwerp’s Left Bank.

Passenger numbers, commuting patterns and operational performance during the temporary reopening period are expected to provide valuable insights for future mobility planning in Antwerp.

The return of trains to Linkeroever also reflects broader debates about urban mobility in Antwerp. 

Over the past decades, the Left Bank has evolved from a relatively isolated residential district into an increasingly important extension of the metropolitan area, with developments such as Regatta and improved cycling infrastructure attracting new residents. Yet despite this growth, transport connections across the Scheldt have remained vulnerable to disruption because of their heavy reliance on tunnels and tram infrastructure.

The reopening of the station demonstrates how dormant railway infrastructure can be reactivated relatively quickly to strengthen network resilience.

Images of the station.

More than a temporary reopening

When the first trains stopped again at Antwerp-Linkeroever in May 2026, the moment represented more than the reopening of a forgotten halt. It symbolised the rediscovery of a historical transport corridor that had connected the Left Bank with the rest of Antwerp since the nineteenth century.

Whether the station closes once again after the Brabotunnel renovation or evolves into a permanent part of Antwerp’s transport network remains uncertain. What is clear, however, is that after 42 years of abandonment, Antwerp-Linkeroever has unexpectedly returned to the centre of the city’s mobility debate.

NMBS / SNCB & Infrabel related news

On the look of Antwerp

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