A first railway station was built together with the line 1837-1839, but as traffic grew from 1866 onwards an enlargement or the construction of a new station became a need. In 1877 plans designed by architect Croquison were approved. This 140 m long neo-classical building with its iron arched train shed was bombed during the Second World War by allied air strikes.
After the war a new station was built according to plans by the local architect Pauwels. The station was then considered one of the best railways stations of the post-war reconstruction, but now seems to be doomed for demolishment, to be replaced by a new complex.
The establishment of the railway station fundamentally changed the way the town expanded.
In 1840 and 1847, the station district was constructed according to a pentagonal street plan, designed by the famous architect J.P. Cluysenaer