The train services are operated by the National Railway Company of Belgium (NMBS/SNCB).

[1] On 5 May 1835, the first public train journey on the European mainland arrived near the station.

Lines were built in all directions from the station: North to Antwerp, south to Brussels and France, east to Leuven, Liège and Verviers and west to Dendermonde, Ghent, Bruges and Ostend.

In 2012, a new high-speed railway (line 25N) opened between Mechelen and Schaerbeek, in northern Brussels.

Platforms 11 and 12 were added to the station in December 2020 to accommodate the additional trains from this line.