Brussels - Merode Metro Station

Brussels - Merode Metro Station, originally uploaded by infomatique.

Merode is a railway and metro station in Brussels, Belgium. The metro station is located in the municipality of Etterbeek (near the border between Etterbeek, the City of Brussels and Schaerbeek), under the "Porte de Tervueren/Tervuursepoort," which is the start of Avenue de Tervueren, a major street in Brussels. The underground train station is located under the "Place Prince Jean de Mérode/Prins Jean de Merodeplein," after which it is named.

The metro station opened in 1976 and was served by the first "heavy" metro service ever in Brussels (earlier underground services elsewhere were operated by trams). The station is located at the eastern end of the common branch of the lines 1 and 5. One metro train out of two coming from Schuman continues to the southeast of the city through Thieffry toward Herrmann-Debroux metro station in the municipality of Auderghem; this branch is currently line 1. Line 5 continues to the East through Montgomery toward Stokkel/Stockel in the municipality of Woluwe-Saint-Pierre.

The main railway station, adjacent to the metro station, encompasses two underground platforms and is served by the suburban services of NMBS/SNCB line 26 linking Vilvoorde with Halle via Etterbeek.

Several places of interest are located around this station: the famous Cauchie house (house of the architect Paul Cauchie), the Parc du Cinquantenaire, the Avenue de Tervueren (one of the oldest avenues in Brussels) and the Royal Military School.

Merode station is unusual in having its eastbound and westbound tracks at different levels, in order to avoid conflicting movements at the same level. As a result, each platform faces a blank wall across the track, which has been decorated with tiling to improve the atmosphere of the station.