The original railway line through the station site ran between Brussels-Luxembourg and Brussels-North and was opened on 23 October 1856, though no station was provided. In about 1865, the Grande Compagnie du Luxembourg received subsidies from the state to open stations on the line, by that point surrounded by rapid housing development, and opened a halt called Bruxelles (Rue de la Loi), on a site now occupied by part of the Berlaymont building. The station was closed around 1920.
The site was identified as a future rail and metro connection during the planning and construction of the Berlaymont and Charlemagne buildings, and opened for rail and premetro (underground tram) services on 17 December 1969. The premetro trams were replaced by the new Brussels Metro on 20 September 1976.
From 2008 to 2016, the metro and railway stations underwent major renovation works, increasing the station's capacity by two extra tracks. These connect to a tunnel to the old Schaerbeek-Josaphat station (and marshalling yard) on line 26, in order to offer direct quick connections to Antwerp, Leuven and Brussels Airport.[1] With this third connection, the station has become one of Brussels' largest. Its new glass roof allows more daylight into the station.
Above ground works, during winter 2011. The Europa building is under construction in the background.
Looking into the new tunnel with the newly laid tracks in January 2015
Test train on the new tracks crossing the metro hall in October 2015
Rail
The rail station (called Bruxelles-Schuman/Brussel-Schuman) is an elevated station, though its north-eastern end is "underground" as it enters a hillside. Its ticket office is located immediately next to the metro station; at one end of the railway station platforms, a stairway leads down to the Chaussée d'Etterbeek/Etterbeeksesteenweg, coming out close to Maelbeek/Maalbeek metro station. Trains travelling between Brussels-South railway station and Namur and Luxembourg call at the station. The National Railway Company of Belgium (NMBS/SNCB)'s code for the station is FBSM.
A new tunnel was opened in April 2016 between Brussels-Schuman and Meiser, providing direct connections to Brussels Airport and stations on the Greater Ring of Brussels.
Train services
The station is served by the following service(s):
