Belgium’s brand-new Mons railway station – designed by starchitect Santiago Calatrava and opened to passengers in late 2024 – has been crowned one of the seven most beautiful train stations on the planet by the Prix Versailles architecture awards announced on 3 November. The 165-metre ‘cathedral-bridge’ links the historic city centre with the Grands Prés development, combining sweeping white-steel arches with a monumental glass gallery inspired by Brussels’ Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert.
For mobility planners the accolade is more than cosmetic: SNCB/NMBS reports that the €324 million station has increased weekday passenger throughput by 18 % and cut platform-transfer times by 25 % thanks to barrier-free design. Eurostar has already flagged Mons as a potential stop on a proposed Brussels–Paris–Lille premium-commuter service aimed at cross-border knowledge workers.
![Mons’ Calatrava-designed rail hub named one of world’s seven most beautiful stations]()
Local authorities hope the award will accelerate adjacent commercial projects, including a 250-room business hotel and a multimodal park-and-ride serving the E42 corridor. Calatrava himself noted that “stations are the new urban living rooms”, echoing trends toward mixed-use hubs that merge rail, retail and co-working space.
The recognition burnishes Belgium’s reputation for transport architecture – Antwerp-Central and Liège-Guillemins have won similar honours – and signals continued investment in rail as the country seeks to shift 8 % of business travel from road and air to rail by 2030.
For mobility planners the accolade is more than cosmetic: SNCB/NMBS reports that the €324 million station has increased weekday passenger throughput by 18 % and cut platform-transfer times by 25 % thanks to barrier-free design. Eurostar has already flagged Mons as a potential stop on a proposed Brussels–Paris–Lille premium-commuter service aimed at cross-border knowledge workers.
Local authorities hope the award will accelerate adjacent commercial projects, including a 250-room business hotel and a multimodal park-and-ride serving the E42 corridor. Calatrava himself noted that “stations are the new urban living rooms”, echoing trends toward mixed-use hubs that merge rail, retail and co-working space.
The recognition burnishes Belgium’s reputation for transport architecture – Antwerp-Central and Liège-Guillemins have won similar honours – and signals continued investment in rail as the country seeks to shift 8 % of business travel from road and air to rail by 2030.
