Train World in Schaerbeek has welcomed over a million visitors since its opening in 2015, but attendance has significantly declined in recent years.
The railway museum, situated at the Schaerbeek station, consolidates Belgium’s railway heritage once scattered across various locations. Schaerbeek was chosen for its symbolic significance as the site of the first railway line on mainland Europe, connecting Brussels and Mechelen in 1835.
Visitors begin their journey in the historic Schaerbeek station building, now serving as the reception hall. The main exhibits, including vintage steam trains, royal carriages, and other historical artefacts, are showcased in a purpose-built exhibition space nearby.
Train World was created with an investment of €25 million, aiming for 100,000 visitors annually. It exceeded expectations in its early years, drawing more than 130,000 visitors annually between 2016 and 2019, peaking at 135,827 in 2019.
The COVID-19 pandemic dealt a blow to attendance, but numbers rebounded in 2021 and 2022, thanks mainly to a domestic audience, reaching over 120,000 visitors each year. However, attendance dropped sharply in 2023 to 92,035 visitors and fell further to 77,346 last year.
Officials from railway company SNCB, which oversees Train World, attribute the decline to the reduced appeal of recent temporary exhibitions. They are optimistic that reintroducing Train World to the museum pass programme can reverse the trend.
The museum has been closed since early September and will reopen on Friday, 26 September, featuring a new temporary exhibition entitled “SNCB, Occupied Company: Between Collaboration and Resistance.” This exhibition explores the role of the railway company during the Second World War.
