Hiding 27

Okay, to be honest, the trip to Kinkempois was fun, but it just didn't produce that many awesome pictures. And yes, in times past that hasn't stopped me (and in fact it still doesn't stop me as often as it should), but I do have my limits. In fact, thinking back, I still have some pictures from that HSB trip and in fact even before that, which I've wanted to post but somehow forgot. Maybe I'll do that next.

I did, however, also take some pictures in Liège Guillemins, the city's main station, when I visited Kinkempois. There are not many stations where the station building is more interesting than the trains there, but Liège Guillemins is absolutely on the list. I really need to go there with a tripod, a wide array of lenses and a lot of time some day. It was designed by Santiago Calatrava and opened in September 2009 (although it was in use, just unfinished, way before that already), as part of the general belgian high-speed line project. In fact, if you look closely, it is not fully finished even now. The station is done, but the area around it is still being remodeled.

In terms of trains, it is interesting enough, I guess. A big problem, though: I don't think white trains work all that well in this very white station; they ought to be more colorful. Sadly, SNCB is using a mostly white livery for all new trains. Anyway. This station is a major hub for rail traffic in east belgium, including IC trains to all parts of the country and international trains to Luxembourg, Maastricht, Aachen, but also international high-speed trains to Paris, Cologne and Frankfurt. And starting in december 2013 according to the latest plans, ICEs from Frankfurt to London will… pass through without stopping.

Yes, just like in Aachen, DB will not pay for the security zone that Channel Tunnel regulations require. Unlike Aachen, the locals seem to have missed that, and are only now starting their protest. This isn't just about the train to London or the fewer connections to Brussels (connections to Brussels are already quite good), but also about the connection to the german high-speed network. In Aachen, the city is planning to pay (nobody knows how) to rebuild the station with the required security features. DB has promised to stop there when that happens, knowing that a) this gives them a bit of goodwill with the locals, which include some politicians and b) to change the voltage, trains to Belgium have to stop in Aachen anyway. The only question is whether they open their doors. Neither of those apply to Liège (why should DB care about belgian politicians?), so it will be interesting to see how that works out. In fact, I'm a bit surprised that the people in Maastricht haven't protested yet. Until Via Avantis (a new rail line to connect Maastricht with Aachen via Kerkrade) is built, taking a train to Liège and then getting into the ICE is their fastest connection to german high-speed rail too, and with the direct train Maastricht-Brussels about to be cancelled, it will be their best connection to London as well. Maybe they just haven't realized that yet.