Mons (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – The new “gateway station” in Mons went into service this Wednesday morning, with the first train at 4:30 am. This first day marks the end of an impressive project that was ten years behind schedule. Its budget has also exploded, going from 37 to 480 million euros.
After nearly ten years of promises and delays, the new station in Mons was opened to the public on Wednesday, December 18th, at 4:30 a.m., when the first train left its platform, ending an era that was awaited by both the commuting public and the city as well.
Originally scheduled for completion in 2015, the opening of this station was pushed back to ten years, and now the budget ballooned, from an original €37 million to an eye-watering €480 million, amounting to a nearly thirteenfold increase.
The new Mons station has five covered platforms, one is for buses, taxis, and drop-off points, and the other is for buses and trains. There are also 14 shops around the station, with services including luggage storage, a TEC counter, which will open in January, a cash machine, and a medical collection centre for the CHR branch of Mons.
In addition to its transport facilities, the station offers two car parks with 862 spaces for cars and 350 for bicycles. However, the city-side car park will not be available immediately.
One of the most striking features of the new station is the 15 m wide, 165 meters long covered footbridge connecting Place Léopold to Place des Congrès. That enables a direct pedestrian passage to the Grands Prés district and the historic centre of Mons. Bicycles are still not allowed on the platforms.
Mons station serves as one of Wallonia’s busiest, welcoming around 57,000 passengers each week and hosting 189 trains every day.
While the station is already in operation, its official opening will take place on January 31, 2025, within the framework of the Mons en Lumière festival, marking the final act of an ambitious infrastructure project that has transformed the city’s transport network over the last decade.
Past Challenges
The project got delayed ten years due to mismanagement, design change, and compliance issues. Temporary metallic ramps were used at the sites during construction, raising safety concerns. A lack of transparency in architectural competition faced criticism, and through an official inquiry, many issues raised with public contracts and project management had been there. Building on top of existing railway tracks added some complexity.
Despite the challenges, there are five covered platforms at the new station, including 14 retail units with modern facilities. It’s one of the busiest in Wallonia, serving a daily number of 57,000 passengers and hosting 189 trains. There will be an official launch on January 31, 2025, during the Mons en Lumière festival.
