The station opened on 17 December 1969 as a premetro (underground tram) station on the tram line between De Brouckère and Schuman. This station was upgraded to full metro status on 20 September 1976, serving former east–west line 1 (further split in 1982 into former lines 1A and 1B). Then, following the reorganisation of the Brussels Metro on 4 April 2009, it now lies on the joint section of east–west lines 1 and 5.[1][2]
History
Parc/Park station was inaugurated on 17 December 1969 as a premetro station (i.e. a station served by underground tramways), as part of the first underground public transport route in Belgium, which initially stretched from De Brouckère to Schuman. On 20 September 1976, this premetro line was converted into a heavy metro line, which was later split into two distinct lines on 6 October 1982: former lines 1A and 1B, both serving Parc/Park. On 4 April 2009, metro operation was restructured and the station is now served by metro lines 1 and 5.[1][2]
When the station was first built, there was a plan to eventually construct a connecting line along the route of the Rue Royale/Koningsstraat. To provide for this line, a much larger underground space was excavated than necessary for a simple station. The Rue Royale line was quickly cancelled, and the underground chambers intended for it now house the Brussels Metro's traffic control centre.
The tunnel between Parc/Park and Arts-Loi/Kunst-Wet stations was the first section of the Brussels metro system to be built using a tunnelling shield. This was done as a test; most parts of the Brussels Metro having been built using open construction methods.
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