Maelbeek metro station

Metro station in Brussels, Belgium

Preceding station	Brussels Metro			Following station
Arts-Loi/Kunst-Wet towards Gare de l'Ouest/Weststation		Line 1		Schuman towards Stockel/Stokkel
Arts-Loi/Kunst-Wet towards Erasme/Erasmus		Line 5		Schuman towards Herrmann-Debroux

Maelbeek (French, former Dutch spelling) or Maalbeek (modern Dutch, pronounced [ˈmaːlbeːk]) is a Brussels Metro station on lines 1 and 5. It is located under the Rue de la Loi/Wetstraat in the City of Brussels, Belgium. The station takes its name from the nearby Maalbeek stream.

The station opened on 17 December 1969 as a premetro (underground tram) station on the tram line between De Brouckère and Schuman. This station was upgraded to full metro status on 20 September 1976, serving former east–west line 1 (further split in 1982 into former lines 1A and 1B). Then, following the reorganisation of the Brussels Metro on 4 April 2009, it now lies on the joint section of east–west lines 1 and 5.^[1]^[2]

History

Maelbeek/Maalbeek station was inaugurated on 17 December 1969 as a premetro station (i.e. a station served by underground tramways), as part of the first underground public transport route in Belgium, which initially stretched from De Brouckère to Schuman. On 20 September 1976, this premetro line was converted into a heavy metro line, which was later split into two distinct lines on 6 October 1982: former lines 1A and 1B, both serving Maelbeek/Maalbeek. On 4 April 2009, metro operation was restructured and the station is now served by metro lines 1 and 5.^[1]^[2]

2016 Brussels bombings

On 22 March 2016 at 09:11 CET, an explosion took place at Maelbeek/Maalbeek station. The bomb exploded from the second carriage of a four carriage train as it started leaving the station and heading in the direction of Arts-Loi/Kunst-Wet. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant released a statement claiming responsibility for the attack and branding Belgium a participant in the ongoing military intervention against ISIL. The suicide attack took place about an hour after the bombings took place in Brussels Airport. The Flemish radio and television organisation VRT officially reported 20 people were killed at the metro station, with 106 injured.^[3]

The station was closed for over a month following the attacks. On 25 April 2016, it reopened again.^[4]

Maelbeek/Maalbeek metro entrance after the 2016 Brussels bombings
Flowers and inscriptions at the metro entrance
Temporary memorial wall in the station after the attacks

Interior and art

The walls of the station's platforms are decorated with white Azulejo tiles manufactured in Portugal.^[5] The visual artist Benoît van Innis was commissioned to paint eight portraits on the walls.

Location

The station is located under the Rue de la Loi/Wetstraat, a street best known for the many official buildings of the European Union (EU), including the European Parliament and the European Commission, as well as of the Belgian Government. One of the station's exits leads to the Rue de la Loi, with a side entrance leading to the Rue Joseph II/Jozef II-straat. The other exit leads to the Chaussée d'Etterbeek/Etterbeeksesteenweg. It is located under the bridge carrying the Rue de la Loi. Nearby (also on the Chaussée d'Etterbeek) is an entrance leading to the SNCB/NMBS (heavy rail) southbound platforms of Schuman railway station. This entrance is located under the railway bridge with stairs up to the platforms.

Area

Nearby landmarks include:

References

^ ^a ^b "Line 1 direction GARE DE L'OUEST - stib-mivb.be". www.stib-mivb.be. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
^ ^a ^b "Line 5 direction ERASME - stib-mivb.be". www.stib-mivb.be. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
^ "Ook aanslag op metronetwerk Brussel". telegraaf.nl (in Dutch). 22 March 2016. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
^ Morgan, Kellie (25 April 2016). "Brussels metro station reopens after terror attack". cnn.com. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
^ "The art of the underground (2): Metro Maalbeek".