De Lijn
Encyclopedia
Flemish government
The Flemish Government is the executive branch of the Flemish Community and the Flemish Region. It consists of up to a maximum of eleven ministers, chosen by the Flemish Parliament...
in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
to provide public transportation, similar to the way in which Belgian railroads
Rail transport
Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...
or the postal
Postal
Postal may refer to:* Mail, the postal service* The Postal Service, a band* "Going postal", the U.S. slang phrase meaning a killing spree* Going Postal, a 2004 Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett...
system is run. It runs about 3650 buses and 359 trams. De Lijn was founded in 1991 after the public transportation companies of Antwerp and Ghent
Ghent
Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of...
fused with the Flemish part of the NMVB
Vicinal tramway
The Tramways vicinaux or Buurtspoorwegen were a system of narrow gauge tramways or local railways in Belgium, which covered the whole country and had a greater route length than the mainline railway system...
(Nationale Maatschappij van Buurtspoorwegen, or the National Company of Neighborhood Railroads).
Socialist politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
Steve Stevaert
Steve Stevaert
Steve Stevaert is a Belgian politician of the Flemish Socialist Party: the SP.A....
of Hasselt
Hasselt
Hasselt is a Belgian city and municipality, and capital of the Flemish province of Limburg...
implemented a policy allowing some senior citizens (registered residents in Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
aged 65+) to ride anywhere in Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
for free. Other incentives exist for people under age 25.
De Lijn is being viewed as an integral part to reduce heavily congested traffic, together with the NMBS (Belgium's railroad provider.)
In 2008, it transported more than 508 million passengers, for an area with a population of approximately 6.5 million.
De Lijn operates:
- Tramway in AntwerpAntwerp TramThe Antwerp Tram is a form of public transport in Antwerp, Belgium. As of 2010 the system features 11 routes, four of which pass partially under the ground ....
. It contains both classical street-running tram lines as an underground light rail line (known as Antwerp Pre-metroAntwerp Pre-metroThe Antwerp Premetro is a network, consisting of lines 2, 3, 5, 6 and 15 of the Antwerp Tram system. It is a 1000 mm rail gauge system, which runs underground in the city centre and further out on surface lines, which are separated from motor traffic...
). - Tramway in GhentGhent TramThe Ghent tram is public transport in the city of Ghent, Belgium. Since 1991, it has been operated by De Lijn, the public transport entity responsible for buses and trams in Flanders. As of the end of 2008, there were 40 HermeLijn trams and 43 PCC trams, running on three routes.-General...
. Mostly classical tramway with some reserved tram lines. - Belgian coast tram - interurbanInterurbanAn interurban, also called a radial railway in parts of Canada, is a type of electric passenger railroad; in short a hybrid between tram and train. Interurbans enjoyed widespread popularity in the first three decades of the twentieth century in North America. Until the early 1920s, most roads were...
tram line along whole Belgian coast, between De PanneDe PanneDe Panne is a municipality located along the North Sea coast of the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the towns of Adinkerke and De Panne proper. On 1 January 2006 De Panne had a total population of 10,060. The total area is 23.90 km² which gives a population...
and KnokkeKnokkeKnokke is one of a group of communities that are all grouped in the administrative community Knokke-Heist, in the province of West Flanders in Flanders, Belgium. Knokke itself has 15,653 inhabitants .Knokke-Heist has 33,818 inhabitants ....
. - All the urban, suburban and intercity buses in Flanders are operated by De Lijn. Because of the dense rail network, intercity buses serve as local transport between big cities and smaller communities. Time to travel from one city to another by bus is most often 1,5 or 2 times longer than for the same journey on the train. This is because bus lines are less straight, as they pass through many small towns that are not served by railway. The buses are also more city-style (no coach buses are used). Only in the Limburg provinceLimburg (Belgium)Limburg is the easternmost province of modern Flanders, which is one of the three main political and cultural sub-divisions of modern Belgium. It is located west of the river Meuse . It borders on the Dutch provinces of North Brabant and Limburg and the Belgian provinces of Liège, Flemish Brabant...
with few railways, the buses are the main mode of intercity travel. There are also express intercity buses there. - Demand responsive bus (belbus, which literally means "bus on call"). These serve in the regions with low population density.
The fares are the same on all types of De Lijn-operated transit.
See also
- TECTEC (transport)Société Régionale Wallonne du Transport , is responsible for the supervision, strategic planning and marketing of a group of five regional public transport companies branded as TEC or "Transport En Commun" in Wallonia, Belgium. It is primarily a bus operator, but also operates the Charleroi tram...
- equivalent company in Wallonia - MIVB-STIBBrussels Intercommunal Transport CompanyThe Brussels Intercommunal Transport Company is the local public transport operator in Brussels, Belgium...
- equivalent company in BrusselsBrusselsBrussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...