2023-10-13 06:12:52
The evacuation of Antwerp-Central station due to the presence of a suspicious package is causing significant disruption to train traffic, infrastructure manager Infrabel said. No trains are anymore allowed to enter the station, the neighboring Antwerp-Berchem station now serves as the terminus.
Antwerp Central station is one of the busiest stations in the country. Its closure during the morning rush hour has significant repercussions. “We now use Antwerp-Berchem as a terminus for most trains, but its capacity is not as great,” explains Thomas Baeken of Infrabel. “The first train traffic jams are starting to appear in neighboring stations such as Antwerp-South, Mortsel and Zwijndrecht. »
The SNCB train ticket can be used by commuters to take De Lijn company buses and trams to reach Antwerp-Berchem station, where they can board a train, SNCB announces.
Trains whose final destination is not Antwerp-Central are diverted via an old route bypassing the city, which also causes numerous delays. In addition to the deviations and delays of several trains already on the way, Infrabel warns that many trains risk being canceled.
The police say they are not taking any risks. The SEDEE (Explosive Ordnance Removal and Destruction Service) arrived on site. The “suspicious package” discussed in the building consists of two suitcases which were left at the station. This is what the local police say.
The mine clearance service (SEDEE) is investigating the suitcases. “At the moment we do not know when the area can be liberated once more and we ask everyone to be patient for a while,” police said on X, the former Twitter.
The station building is right next to Antwerp’s Jewish quarter, which is under increased vigilance this week due to the escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The premetro station below the station also evacuated
The Diamant premetro station, located under the Antwerp-Central station building, was also evacuated, Flemish public transport company De Lijn said. Tram lines 2, 6, 9 and 15 are therefore diverted. The Astrid premetro station, which is located under Astrid Square very close to Antwerp-Central, has not had to be evacuated at this stage.
Antwerp Central train station was closed and the building evacuated on Friday morning following the discovery of a suspicious package.
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