Brussels opens rail museum, in era of fund cuts

Nearly two centuries ago, Belgium launched continental Europe's first commuter train line connecting Brussels to Mechelen, a small city halfway to the port of Antwerp.

To mark that place in rail nostalgia, Brussels has opened a state-of-the art train museum, reachable through a plushly renovated 19th-century train station in the EU capital's working-class north.

The museum is a bold gamble by budget-strained Belgium, costing $28 million at a time when spending on culture in Europe is being slashed.