A New Look in Liege

May 30, 2013 10 Comments »

Liege train station
Liege Train Station – like nothing I had seen before in Europe

The first time I passed through the Liege train station, I was stunned. I looked out my train window and saw curved iron beams, symmetry, and bright sunlight – unlike any train station in Europe I had ever been to. But this was not a planned stop for me, so we pulled away as I was trying to snap Instagram photos out the window! A few days later I came across this article – the top 5 train stations in the world worth a stop – and Liege was listed as one of them!  Now I really had to stop on my next time through.

For me, a Eurail Pass was not just about the train; it was also about the train stations. Train stations in Europe evoke this old-world feel offering gorgeous silhouettes lighting and open spaces. I always feel as if I have stepped back in time when I’m in a European train station – we really don’t have anything like it in the US.

However, the Liege, Belgium station was unusual – it was modern, sleek, and bright thanks to architect Santiago Calatrava.  He literally gave an ancient city a new look.  And I’m excited to say that Calatrava also designed a futuristic train station, the World Trade Center Transportation Hub, at the rebuilt World Trade Center in New York City.

I made sure that as I passed through Liege again 2 months later this time I would get out to take some proper photos.

Liege train station
The station opened on September 18, 2009
Liege train station pictures
The station is one of the most important rail hubs in the country.
Liege train station
The open air ‘roof’
liege train station photos
The station is used by 36,000 people every day
liege train station
A view from the street level
Liege train station
Underneath the station
liege train station
A train on one of the tracks
escalator liege train station
It has 9 tracks and 5 platforms (three of 450 m and two of 350 m). All the tracks around the station have been modernized to allow high speed arrival and departure.
Liege train station
The sky view

This wasn’t the first time I had been mesmerized by Calatrava’s architecture – I was introduced to him in Valencia, Spain.


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