Haaltert Plans to Sell Old Station Building for €50,000

Haaltert (Eurotoday) – The old train station in Haaltert, which was purchased by the city for €160,000 in 2021, is now valued at just €50,000 and requires an estimated €1 million in renovations, according to alderman Nathalie Meganck.

As reported by VRT News, the station—located in the East Flanders municipality of Haaltert—is no longer operational. Passengers now wait for trains under a basic shelter and use a ticket machine, while the original station building stands abandoned in disrepair.

Meganck, who oversees public buildings and is part of the Samen Haaltert coalition, explained that restoring the historic structure could cost as much as €1 million. “It’s simply not financially feasible for the town,” she said.

Will Haaltert Sell Its Historic Station Despite High Costs?

The local government initially had plans to breathe new life into the building by repurposing it for community use. However, the scale of the investment required has caused those ambitions to be shelved. Officials say the renovation burden is simply too great.

Now, the fate of the old station is up in the air. While it continues to deteriorate, travelers make do with minimal facilities. The issue of selling the building is set to be discussed during tonight’s city council meeting.

Having bought the structure for €160,000, the city has watched its value plummet to just €50,000 due to worsening conditions. Any buyer would face significant restoration challenges, since the building is a protected monument and must be renovated in line with heritage preservation laws, adding to the expense and complexity.

If approved by the council, the station will be sold via online auction platform Biddit, a leading site for property sales in Belgium. Whether the auction will exceed the current €50,000 valuation remains uncertain, largely because of the associated repair costs.

The building currently has scaffolding in place for urgent maintenance, including gutter repairs. These works were partly subsidized, with the city receiving 80% in financial aid to cover immediate stabilization measures.

When Haaltert acquired the building three years ago, it had envisioned transforming it into a community meeting space. However, progress stalled, and the building has remained empty ever since. Given the prohibitive cost of renovation, the city ultimately decided to abandon its original plans.