Les quais

Liège-Guillemins railway station

History
In 1838, only three years after the first continental railway, a line linking Brussels and Ans, in the northern suburbs of Liège, was opened. The first train station of Liège-Guillemins was inaugurated in May 1842, linking the valley to the upper Ans station. In 1843, the first international railway connection was born, linking Liège to Aachen and Cologne.

The station was modernized and improved in 1882 and in 1905 for the World Fair in Liège. This station was replaced in 1958 by a modern (for that time) one that was used until June 2009, a few months before the opening of the new Calatrava designed station.

New station
The new station by the architect Santiago Calatrava was officially opened on September 18, 2009 with a show by Franco Dragone. It has 9 tracks and 5 platforms (three of 450m and two of 350m). All the tracks around the station have been modernized to allow high speed arrival and departure.

The new station is made of steel, glass and white concrete. It includes a monumental arch, 200 metres long and 35 metres high. The building costs were € 312 million.

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