Belgium’s state-owned rail company NMBS has decided that the historic waiting room at Bruges station will close for good in its present function. The waiting room had been shut recently due to a leak and now the rail company has decided this architectural gem will remain closed as a waiting room cum ticket office for good. Heritage enthusiasts in the West Country are incensed.
The woes at the waiting room started a couple of weeks ago when a leak obliged the closure of this historic site. Access to the waiting room via the central concourse is no longer possible either.
NMBS now says the closure of the waiting room is now for good, though the space can be used for other functions. A new waiting area has been laid out on the other site of the station building, where, according to the company many passengers arrive. Here too you can find a ticket office and loos.
NMBS spokesman Bart Crols concedes the old waiting room is located in a beautiful hall: The company will now consider new options for the hall: “It possesses a very special character and that is something we wish to retain in its new function”.
Can the mayor save the waiting room?
Bruges Mayor Dirk De fauw (Christian democrat) says talks with the rail company are planned but the city authorities, as yet, have no firm position on its future.
Heritage enthusiasts “up in arms”
Andries Van den Abeele of Heritage Association Marcus Gerards is incandescent: “It’s a scandal. The rail company has so far failed to provide any proper explanation about the move of waiting room and ticket offices. They are now concentrated on the other side of the building, but tourists and residents need the exit on the side of the historic waiting room if they want to reach the inner city and the Old Town. It’s illogical”.
“It doesn’t bear thinking if the waiting room gets to be used to accommodate a supermarket or a fast-food restaurant. The hall has been neglected for years. Paint is peeling off walls and ceilings. Nothing was done about it. I hope it can be restored to its former glory by using it for ticket machines or as a newsagent’s”.