Why go
The station is worth noticing as a building as well as using as a rail hub. Its lower through platforms reveal how the former terminus was adapted for trains continuing north, while the road tunnels show how Antwerp preserves a shipping route across the Scheldt. These details make arrival part of the city’s story.
What to look for
- Antwerpen-Centraal combines a landmark station hall with lower through platforms.
- The Ring connects major road routes around much of the central city.
- Waasland, Kennedy and Liefkenshoek tunnels provide road crossings of the Scheldt.
The full story
Antwerpen-Centraal once operated as a terminus: a train approaching from Brussels and continuing toward the Netherlands had to reverse or bypass the station via Berchem. A rail tunnel beneath the city later made through travel possible on lower platforms. That change is visible in the station’s vertical layout, where the historic hall and newer rail levels belong to different phases of travel. Roads have their own geography. The Ring wraps around much of the centre and connects routes toward Brussels, Ghent and the Netherlands. Across the Scheldt, road traffic uses tunnels built in different periods, including the Waasland, Kennedy and Liefkenshoek tunnels. These systems reflect the same constraint that shapes the waterfront: ships need a clear path along the river. Antwerp’s freight rail network is another reminder that the port serves far more than the city itself.
Useful to know
- Compare Antwerpen-Centraal and Antwerpen-Berchem for your train arrival; both serve major rail approaches.
- If driving across the Scheldt, check the route and tunnel before departure rather than assuming a central bridge crossing.