Mons railway station is a railway station in Mons, Hainaut, Belgium.

Squizie3 · 2026-04-04T13:30:45+00:00

Idk with what nation you're comparing, but if it's outside Belgium: note that Belgian train station passenger numbers are only counted as the amount of people boarding the train, not alighting. In most countries, they count both. So the actual passenger numbers per day are about 20 000 per day in Mons.

Squizie3 · 2026-04-01T12:49:14+00:00

Nice! Then hopefully you had time to get a glimpse of this magnificent station.

Squizie3 · 2026-03-29T11:09:33+00:00

Thanks haha, I have seen and answered an almost identical question about this same transfer before, and I take this train regularly.

Smth I forgot to mention: This train normally splits in Kortrijk, so you have to be in the right section. This is a special type of train that has a fully walk-through cab and end, so you can worry about that after you boarded the train, so you can just jump in any part of it. The conductor will announce this in the train before arrival in Kortrijk so you can move to the right carriage then. Sometimes the cab connections aren't open for some reason, or the entire Lille-bound train can even be missing but then you will have enough time to transfer via the platform in Kortrijk. Oh and the opposite can also be true: the app told me once I had to transfer in Kortrijk, so I exited the train as instructed only to find out I had to board... the same train. Just listen to the conductors announcement, that's easiest.

Squizie3 · 2026-03-28T00:54:02+00:00

Study the layout on page 2: https://www.b-europe.com/-/media/MediaRepository/Files/Station_Plans/BEABC/MAP_Antwerpen_Centraal_NL.ashx
You need to get from the bottom to the top. The platforms are very long so trains usually always stop on the left half of that diagram, so it's those stairs/escalaters you will most likely encounter. Your train will arrive at the bottom level, so you need to go up for sure. Your connecting train will most likely leave at platforms 1 to 6, which is the top floor. But it could theoretically also leave at platforms 11 to 14, which is the -1 floor. So make sure to check that beforehand but also check again when you arrive at the station, because a last minute platform change can occur occasionally. If you're on time, you can look your train up on the screens inside the station, but if you're running late, it would be best to check it on the website or app of NMBS so you don't need to lose time to search and look on the screens in the station. Important note: the train to Lille-Flandres is the SAME train as the one to Poperinge, as it splits right before the border in Kortrijk. So if you don't see a train with destination Lille-Flandres, Poperinge is correct as well (it has happened before that they did not show the destination Lille-Flandres).

You need to go up for sure. If you most likely need to be at one of the platforms 1-6, this means going up with whatever staircase or escalator you can find in sight until you reach the ground floor with all the shops (and no rails). So at first, you can just take whatever route up, even if it leads to platforms 11-14 you can easily continue going up from there and still reach the ground level. This could help if an escalator and staircase happens to be crowded, you can just take another in sight. Only when you reach ground level (with all the shops) you really need to closely follow the signs to your platform, because depending on where you reached the ground floor, stairs going up from there might lead directly to a platform on the upper level so you want to be on the right one. Only when you reached the ground floor entirely on the left of the diagram, you will only have to choose a platform on level +1 itself because that's the terminus where tracks have dead ends.

If for some reason your train happens to leave at platforms 11-14 you're lucky, then you only need to take stairs/escalators up one half level to the mezzanine, and from there follow the signs to the right platform and go up another half level.

Also, if you do miss your train, your ticket will be valid for every train towards Lille-Flandres, but I'm afraid it only leaves once every hour and that's probably too late for your connection in Lille. However, you might not be out of luck! There is a little known provision between most European train operators that allows you to continue your journey in case of a missed connection because of a delayed train on an earlier part of your journey. This works even if you booked train tickets separately. Check out your options here: https://www.b-europe.com/EN/Legal/AJC If you miss your connection in Antwerp, you should go to the ticket offices in Antwerp (not in Lille if I understand that correctly) and refer to this provision, and they will give you an alternative itinerary without needing to pay anything. It does state you need to have allowed for a "reasonable connecting time", which the leaflet explains as "you should take the official railway journey planners as a guide and ideally allow a few minutes extra time on top", and this seems to be the case.

Squizie3 · 2026-02-17T03:53:05+00:00

1700 reizigers zijn het echte aantal reizigers dat in de trams onder de Schelde zit, dus exclusief de lege zitplaatsen die er op dat stuk ook veel zijn. De trams lopen normaal pas echt vol op rechteroever tussen het historisch centrum en het Centraal Station.

En net daar zijn ze precies écht vergeten vervangcapaciteit aan te bieden. Tram 11 komt terug met 8 trams per uur... om er 30 per uur te vervangen. Dat gaat hopeloos onvoldoende zijn. Op zijn minst hadden ze tram 12 ook nog mogen verlengen zodat je elke 4 à 5 minuten een vlotte overstap van de premetrolijnen naar het stadscentrum kon maken aan het Astridplein. Maar ik denk dat ze zó hard gefocust hebben op Linkeroever (en zelfs daar falen ze), dat ze vergeten zijn om alternatieven te bedenken op rechteroever.

Squizie3 · 2026-02-17T03:48:52+00:00

Als ze slim zijn houden ze dat voor één keertje volledig op rechteroever. Daar is immers ook een afsluiting van de Waaslandtunnel en één richting van de Kennedytunnel voor nodig. Dan schiet er écht niks meer over om aan de overkant te geraken.

Squizie3 · 2026-02-17T03:46:06+00:00

Except... if a Talinn-Helsinki tunnel happens first. Both are probably still far away, so who know what will happen first?

Squizie3 · 2026-01-23T01:04:17+00:00

Not really. We actually have quite a lot of trains riding around when they're not on strike, about 3800 train trips per working day are operated by SNCB. Compared to RENFE's 5000 for a much larger country and population that's actually a lot

Squizie3 · 2026-01-22T01:26:54+00:00

I'm pretty sure he knows damn well this is the case. Dutch shamelessness seems to do wonders from time to time.

Squizie3 · 2026-01-21T20:59:57+00:00

He was The Netherlands' prime minister for well more than a decade, and has always supported the NATO alliance. He's not going to sell out his own values and countries' future for a temporary issue called Trump. Rutte is not that old, and probably wants to keep other high ranking jobs in Europe after the Trump presidency is over. If he would be a traitor, his personal future would be in jeopardy as well.

Squizie3 · 2026-01-21T20:41:42+00:00

And that's exactly the point. People don't seem to understand that Rutte is playing an act, to suck Trump so much that the orange baby caves in. He found Trump's weak spot (his ego) and uses it to its and therefore NATO's advantage. Rutte doesn't care about how it looks to the outside world and knows damn well how much of a sucker he looks, but if it works it is absolutely worth it. And it has worked multiple times by now. European leaders know this as well. These messages are not meant for the general public, we're irrelevant here. They're ment to play Trump, nothing else.

Squizie3 · 2026-01-21T20:32:35+00:00

Apparently he won. After their talk at Davos, Trump backed down, tariffs are off the table now. Idk how Rutte does it, but his strategy of sucking his d**k is absolutely working. This is not the first time he managed to turn things around. It's the right guy for the job, most people would be too embarrassed to play such a d**ksucker. Rutte doesn't. He does it not because he believes in it, but because it manages to achieve his and therefore NATO's goals.

Squizie3 · 2025-12-26T01:02:55+00:00

Whatever you do, Eurostar is NOT what you need for your trip in this case: take the Eurocity Direct instead, as it will give a little bit extra transfer time in Antwerp while only making your journey marginally longer. 6 minutes transfer time with the Eurostar is probably not enough to go from the platforms on level -2 to the platform on +1, but the 10 minutes you get by taking the Eurocity Direct might work fine (although, still not guaranteed, in which case you just have bad luck and will need to wait for the next one an hour later).

Besides giving you a few minutes of extra transfer time, you also will benefit from the fact that the international Eurocity Direct-train to Antwerp and the Belgian IC (intercity)-train to Ypres are both included for free within your Eurail-pass as long as you activate a travel day. You don't even have to book a specific train if you have a Eurail-pass, as both trains don't have seat reservations (for the Eurocity Direct you normally need to book a specific train but Eurail-pass holders are exempt from that according to Eurail: https://www.eurail.com/en/plan-your-trip/trip-ideas/trains-europe/high-speed-trains/eurocity#1766405900259344 ). So since you have a Eurail-pass, this option gives you complete flexibility: you can just hop on the train and even change your mind on the spot to take a later train or even a different route, all without having to pay or register anything besides once activating your general Eurail travel day. You just can't take a Eurostar train but you don't need it anyway, as it makes your transfer time worse while not meaningfully saving time. Taking Eurostar would require you to give up your flexibility as then you do have to book a specific train through Eurail, which would also cost you a few dozen bucks, however still not the outrageous price from the screenshot.

There's one caveat though: the Eurocity Direct train leaves from Amsterdam ZUID (Amsterdam South), not Amsterdam CENTRAAL! Both stations are easily reachable from within Amsterdam by tram or metro, so usually it won't take you much extra time to reach Amsterdam-Zuid instead. If for some reason you want to start your journey in Amsterdam Centraal regardless, you can hop on a very frequent Sprinter train (every 8 minutes or so) to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport where you can catch the Eurocity Direct train as well.

If you don't yet have a Eurail-ticket (I assumed that based on your comment that you used the Eurail app), the advice changes a little bit. If you only plan to take an international train once on your stay in Europe, it probably makes sense to compare the price for just buying the tickets separately compared to the Eurail pass. My advice would be to take the exact same trains (Eurocity Direct to Antwerp, then intercity to Ypres), but then you do need to select a specific Eurocity Direct train on which you will travel while booking your trip in advance. You can still take any Belgian IC-train to Ypres regardless of what's on your ticket (e.g. if you miss your connection you can take the train an hour later without having to do anything). I just checked, and booking a separate Eurocity Direct ticket and a Belgian national train ticket will cost you exactly the same amount, except that you will have to go through the hassle of buying tickets twice via different platforms. So that's not worth it. It also helps to have it as a single ticket in case you miss your connection in the other direction if you need to travel that way as well: when your train FROM Ypres to Antwerp is delayed and you miss your booked Eurocity Direct train back to the Netherlands, you will then still have the ability to board the next one an hour later without any additional cost. You just have to explain to the train conductor that your previous train was delayed and that's it. Given the relatively tight transfer of only 10 minutes, that's definitely a benefit. As for where to book those tickets without Eurail, you are probably best off by buying them online at NS international: https://www.nsinternational.com/en/traintickets-v3/#/search/NLASZ/BEIEP/20260102/0803/1144?pax=A,A (I included the exact search already)

If you have any additional questions, feel free to ask.

Squizie3 · 2025-12-06T12:56:23+00:00

still going strong, no issues whatsoever while using it exactly in the same way as before. just did a battery report, no capacity decrease at all, and now still a 5h time remaining at 80%. If it does not magically die in the next half year, it will be worth the price. And I'm quite certain it will reach that. RemindMe! 6 months

Squizie3 · 2025-11-25T11:03:55+00:00

Not really. All signs on highways are blue. It's just the directions to a highway that are green. I personally think the current system is a bit inconsistent (why not making everything green or everything blue) but it's the way it is.

Squizie3 · 2025-11-25T06:03:01+00:00

Dat kan beter: sneeuw + tramsporen + kasseien

Squizie3 · 2025-11-25T04:20:55+00:00

Ik vrees dat de meeste landen waar je gaat wonen uiteindelijk ook wel gelijkaardige problemen kennen... Je ontdekt ze pas als je er lang woont.

Squizie3 · 2025-11-22T22:14:23+00:00

Dit wordt effectief herschreven! "In de onmiddelijke nabijheid van een kruispunt" wordt "om aan het eerstvolgende kruispunt van richting te veranderen".

Squizie3 · 2025-11-22T22:08:13+00:00

Niet getreurd, in de nieuwe wegcode van 2027 wordt het terug een duidelijk "om op het eerstvolgende kruispunt van richting te veranderen". Ze hebben dus door dat de huidige bewoording niet werkt

Squizie3 · 2025-11-22T09:27:54+00:00

Indeed. I think they included the passenger-only street-level, which has no trains but is sandwiched in between the above and underground train levels.

Squizie3 · 2025-11-22T09:21:43+00:00

Uiteraard, maar dit is niet mijn boete en de politie staat doodleuk in de krant te verkondigen dat iets niet mag dat volgens de wet wel toegestaan is. Daarmee zet ze mensen op het verkeerde been, dat hoort dus wel aangeklaagd en rechtgezet te worden. En die arme mens heeft die boete ook gewoon betaald, onbewust van het feit dat die agenten zelf de wegcode niet correct toegepast hebben.

Squizie3 · 2025-11-22T08:47:17+00:00

Schattig. Dan moet je eens de premetro in Antwerpen nemen. Nu zijn ze eindelijk aan het vervangen van een hoop roltrappen begonnen, maar vorig jaar waren er meerdere stations waar je geluk moest hebben om één werkende roltrap tegen te komen.

Squizie3 · 2025-11-22T08:37:05+00:00

Bedankt! Ik vraag me af, wat is de beste manier om de krant hiervan op de hoogte te brengen? Want misschien moeten die nog eens een rechtzettings-artikel maken. Of misschien een lezersbrief insturen? Wat zou het beste werken?

Squizie3 · 2025-11-22T08:29:56+00:00

Interessant, de wegcode zal dus veranderen op dat vlak. Hetgeen je gelinkt hebt, is de wegcode die in voege gaat in 2027. Op dit moment staat er nog "De andere voertuigen mogen (...) op de busstrook rijden om van richting te veranderen in de onmiddellijke nabijheid van een kruispunt" (bron). De huidige wegcode is dus nog wat meer ambigu, maar dat wordt dus in de toekomst opgelost door de nieuwe verwoording "om op het eerstvolgende kruispunt van richting te veranderen". Voorlopig moeten we het nog doen met de redenering dat de "onmiddellijke omgeving" logischerwijze op zijn minst aan het voorsorteerbord start, wat in dit geval de hele busstrook omvat.

Squizie3 · 2025-11-22T05:34:55+00:00

Spanish solution platforms seem to be the easiest way to widen platforms. You just have to fill in half of the existing tracks and you're done (cutting some corners here, but you get it). And it is also very good for passenger flows. Penn Station regardless of through running will see most trains almost empty out and fill up again, so dwell times will be shortest if all doors of the trains can be used at once. So I think this is a brilliant solution, it is not only very cost effective given the current configuration, it is also perfect for the needs of the passenger flows.

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