This Wednesday, December 18, the new structure will be put into service by the SNCB, ahead of an inauguration planned for January 31, following the second edition of the Festival of Lights. Until then, the teams are redoubling their efforts to have everything ready. This Monday, it was time to clean the central aisle, 165 meters long, 15 meters wide and approximately 16 meters high.
“It’s a great moment for SNCB travelers and for the residents of Mons”underlines Tom Guillaume, spokesperson for SNCB. “The footbridge will be put into service this Wednesday, which means that it will be accessible from both sides, like all of the platforms, which will also be autonomous since they are served by two elevators. It’s a page that has been turned, another that must be written.” So there are two days left for everything to be ready. “We are in a finishing phase, we are giving the final sweeps, we are removing the barriers and plastics that covered the devices.”
With the bulk of the work now (or finally) completed, SNCB wishes to move forward. “We will do our best to provide a station that is as beautiful as possible.” However, it will still be necessary for the concessionaires, who have signed for 9 years, to take possession of the 14 commercial spaces and services made available to commuters. All of them will be occupied in the coming months by, among others, Panos, Relay and Starbucks. Only two additional spaces, initially dedicated to the opening of a nursery, will remain free for the moment, due to a lack of candidates.
The temporary station building closes its doors
This Wednesday, the current Mons station building, called the temporary station, will be closed to the public in order to avoid an increase in the number of ticket offices. On the other hand, the footbridge will remain accessible for a while longer because its dismantling will require the interruption of rail traffic and therefore maneuvers rather in the evening and on weekends in order to disrupt the activity as little as possible. It should be noted that Mons station is frequented by some 57,000 travelers per week and served by 189 trains each weekday.
Closed at night, after the last train and reopened a little before the departure of the first train of the day, Mons station is accessible via Place Léopold or via Place des Congrès. It will house around 200 people who will work there every day (accompanists, Securail staff, ticket clerks, etc.) and will also accommodate, in the coming days, the TEC counters, until now located opposite, Place Léopold. It has 5 covered platforms, including a platform dedicated to buses, taxis and drop-offs and a mixed bus and train platform. The bus station is also integrated into the railway station.
On the parking side, 500 car spaces and 200 bicycle spaces are accessible on the Place Léopold side. 350 car spaces and 130 bicycle spaces are located on the Place des Congrès side. Ultimately, 100 additional spaces will be provided on the surface for bicycles. For the rest, the time is no longer for controversy: the Mons station will be the last of its kind, the SNCB had promised while the controversy over its cost has continued to swell in recent years, going from an initial budget of 37 million euros to 480 million, to which another million euros will have to be added annually for the maintenance of the structure…
