Schijnpoort is an underground station in the Antwerp premetro network, operated by De Lijn. It is located in the northern part of Antwerp, Belgium, beneath the Schijnpoortweg.
Name and history
The station is named after the Schijnpoort gate, which was part of the 19th-century Brialmont fortifications surrounding Antwerp. The gate was demolished in 1970 during the construction of the R1 ring road. The station opened on 1 April 1996 as part of the northern premetro axis.
Services
Schijnpoort is served by several Antwerp tram routes that run through the premetro tunnels:
- Tram route 2 (since 2012) – between P+R Merksem and Hoboken
- Tram route 3 (since opening in 1996) – between P+R Merksem and P+R Linkeroever
- Tram route 5 (since 2006) – between Wijnegem and P+R Linkeroever
- Tram route 6 (since 2007) – between P+R Luchtbal and P+R Olympiade
Layout
The station has three underground levels:
- Level -1: Entrance hall with ticket offices and exits on both sides of the Schijnpoortweg.
- Level -2: Southbound platform toward Handel station, used by trams heading toward the city centre.
- Level -3: Northbound platform toward Sport station, used by trams heading toward Merksem, Luchtbal, and Deurne.
The station's design is notable for large colored arrows used as signage and circular windows separating the escalators from the platforms.
Unused tunnel
Just south of the station lies an unfinished premetro tunnel under the Pothoekstraat and Kerkstraat, which was intended to link the northern and eastern premetro tunnels. Built in the 1970s, it was meant to be used by tram route 3 but was never completed due to budgetary issues. The tunnel contains the unfinished stations Stuivenberg and Sint-Willibrordus.
Location
Schijnpoort station is situated underneath the Schijnpoortweg, between the R10 (Singel) ring road and railway line 12. Nearby landmarks include the Antwerpen-Schijnpoort cargo railway station, the Spoor Noord park, and the Schijnpoort sewage treatment facility. Since 2015, the Sinksenfoor (Antwerp's largest funfair) has been held annually on the Spoor Oost terrain near the station.
