Train World inaugurated in Brussels

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Belgium’s national railway museum was inaugurated this afternoon. The front end of Alstom’s very-high-speed AGV is one of its star exhibits.

Train World, Belgium’s brand-new national train museum was inaugurated this afternoon after years of planning and construction. The opening ceremony will be attended by Philippe, King of Belgium. The museum will be open to the public from tomorrow, 25 September.

Train World sits within Schaerbeek station, one of Brussels’ historic secondary stations, incorporating a new 8,000m2 building to house the exhibitions and utilising the fully restored central hall from 1913, which serves as the welcome area. Its displays were created by renowned designer and artist François Schuiten, who also designed the Arts et Metiers metro station in Paris, and tells the full story of railway history in Belgium, where Europe’s first railway began operation in 1835.

Alstom’s very-high-speed train, the AGV, features as a highlight of the Trains of the Future exhibit. A full-sized model of the front seven metres of the train sits prominently on the second floor of the museum—the last train viewers see during their visit—enshrining it as a jewel of railway innovation and design. "I was determined to have the AGV placed clearly in the museum," said Mr. Schuiten. "It embodies not only the future of trains, but also their beauty. It is absolutely magnificent."

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