Checking luggage at train stations

We will be taking some trains that involve connections in Antwerp and/or Brussels. We would be happy to take advantage of this to walk around either of these cities for a while. I would like to know if either of them has facilities for checking luggage for a few hours.I know that for security reasons some train stations do not permit this.

Thank you.

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Brussels has three main rail stations and Antwerp has a main rail station and Antwerp-Berchem which is often a stop for fast trains.

The Belgian Rail website ( www.b-rail.be ) has useful information about all their stations.

After %26quot;Choose your language%26quot; click on %26quot;Travelling in Belgium%26quot; and then %26quot;Practical Info%26quot;. This will put you on the path to selecting a station and scoping out the facilities. Some stations have lockers and/or a left luggage office.

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There are both staffed left-luggage facilities and lockers at Brussels%26#39; Gare du Midi and Gare centrale (this second one is the one you want for visiting the centre of Brussels). No doubt also at Gare du Nord but I have no personal knowledge.

At Antwerpen-Centraal there are lockers but last time this question was asked Amboseli pointed out that some of them are broken and there are days when demand exceeds supply.

Incidentally, the fact that you are taking trains %26quot;with connections%26quot; in Antwerp and/or Brussels does not mean you can leave the connecting station to visit those cities unless you have taken care to obtain the correct tickets! It is fine if you have:

- 2 separate tickets (e.g. Thalys from Paris to Brussels and IC from there to Antwerp/Amsterdam);

- a Eurostar ticket: these are all now %26quot;ABS%26quot; meaning Any Belgian Station: which means you can stop off for up to 24 hours in BRUSSELS on the way to anywhere else IN BELGIUM, e.g. Antwerp);

- a Thalys ABS ticket (has to be booked at the time of purchase) which means you can stop over in Brussels on the way to Antwerp (e.g. when coming from Paris) or Antwerp on the way to Brussels (e.g. when coming from Amsterdam); or

- a %26quot;VIA%26quot; ticket, i.e. at the time of purchase you specifically asked for a ticket from A to B via C (and/or D, etc.).

If, on the other hand, you had a normal ticket from Lier to Brussels which required changing at Antwerp, while you can start your journey at any time on the date in question, you are supposed to continue by next normal connections: so if you start off from Lier at 8 in the morning and are found by a ticket inspector on a train from Antwerp to Brussels at 4 in the afternoon, you obviously didn%26#39;t take the next connection and would normally have to pay again for the journey Antwerp to Brussels. So, you have to make sure you ask (in this case) for a ticket to Brussels VIA Antwerp, which will allow you to interrupt your journey for up to 24 hours at the specified station.

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