Two Brussels stations equipped with book swap cabinets

Two book exchange cabinets have been installed in SNCB stations in the Brussels region. The cabinets at Brussels Midi and the station in Etterbeek will gradually be filled with books as part of the 'Life in the Station' project.

A few months ago, SNCB set up a competition to equip several of its stations with a book exchange cabinet.

The winning design of the book exchange cabinet was made by a team of third-year students from the industrial design department of the Saint-Luc school in Liège, which won the competition after a round of voting on social media. Their concept focuses on recycling old train elements.

The cabinets are essentially small 'street libraries' where everyone can leave and borrow books for free. The station is an excellent place for such a bookcase: most travellers see their train journey as an ideal time to have time for themselves, a time to relax, and one in five has stated that it is the best time for them to read books.

The cabinets are managed under the responsibility of SNCB, in collaboration with the municipal libraries and with volunteers of the SNCB.