High-speed rail in Belgium
Encyclopedia
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...
has a high-speed rail
High-speed rail
High-speed rail is a type of passenger rail transport that operates significantly faster than the normal speed of rail traffic. Specific definitions by the European Union include for upgraded track and or faster for new track, whilst in the United States, the U.S...
network providing mostly international connections from Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and The Netherlands. The high-speed network began with the opening of the HSL 1
HSL 1
The HSL 1 is a Belgian high speed rail line which connects Brussels with LGV Nord at the border with France. It is long with 71 km of dedicated high-speed tracks and 17 km of modernised lines. Service began on 14 December 1997....
to France in 1997, since then high-speed lines have been expanded towards Germany with HSL 2
HSL 2
The HSL 2 is a Belgian high-speed rail line between Leuven and Ans. long, all of it dedicated high-speed tracks, it began service on 15 December 2002. As a part of the Belgian railway network, its formal owner is the Railway Infrastructure Fund...
in 2002, HSL 3
HSL 3
The HSL 3 is a Belgian high-speed rail line. It connects Liège to the German border near Aachen. The line is long, of which are dedicated high-speed tracks....
from Liège
Liège
Liège is a major city and municipality of Belgium located in the province of Liège, of which it is the economic capital, in Wallonia, the French-speaking region of Belgium....
to the German border in 2009, and HSL 4
HSL 4
The HSL 4 is a Belgian high-speed rail line which connects Brussels to the Dutch border. 87 km long , it was scheduled for completion by 2007.Together with the HSL 1 to the French border and HSL-Zuid to Amsterdam, the line has shortened journeys between Brussels,...
from Antwerp to the Dutch border in 2009.
Services
Four high-speed train services currently operate in Belgium: ThalysThalys
Thalys is an international high-speed train operator originally built around the high-speed line between Paris and Brussels. This track is shared with Eurostar trains that go from Paris or Brussels to London via Lille and the Channel Tunnel and with French domestic TGV trains. Thalys reaches...
, Eurostar
Eurostar
Eurostar is a high-speed railway service connecting London with Paris and Brussels. All its trains traverse the Channel Tunnel between England and France, owned and operated separately by Eurotunnel....
, InterCityExpress
InterCityExpress
The Intercity-Express or ICE is a system of high-speed trains predominantly running in Germany and neighbouring countries. It is the highest service category offered by DB Fernverkehr and is the flagship of Deutsche Bahn...
(ICE) and TGV
TGV
The TGV is France's high-speed rail service, currently operated by SNCF Voyages, the long-distance rail branch of SNCF, the French national rail operator....
. Fyra
Fyra
Fyra is a high-speed train service operating on the Dutch HSL-Zuid and planned for the Belgian HSL 4, between Amsterdam, Schiphol Airport, Rotterdam, Breda, Antwerp, and Brussels. Fyra shares the high-speed tracks with operator Thalys. The service is offered by NS Hispeed and the NMBS/SNCB...
service is expected by late 2010.
All operators stop in Brussels-South railway station, Belgium's largest train station
Train station
A train station, also called a railroad station or railway station and often shortened to just station,"Station" is commonly understood to mean "train station" unless otherwise qualified. This is evident from dictionary entries e.g...
. Some services also stop in Liège and Antwerp. Eurostar
Eurostar
Eurostar is a high-speed railway service connecting London with Paris and Brussels. All its trains traverse the Channel Tunnel between England and France, owned and operated separately by Eurotunnel....
connects Brussels to London–St Pancras
St Pancras railway station
St Pancras railway station, also known as London St Pancras and since 2007 as St Pancras International, is a central London railway terminus celebrated for its Victorian architecture. The Grade I listed building stands on Euston Road in St Pancras, London Borough of Camden, between the...
. The German ICE operates between Brussels-South, Liège-Guillemins railway station
Liège-Guillemins railway station
Liège-Guillemins train station is the main station of the city of Liège, the third biggest city in Belgium. It is one of the most important hubs in the country and is one of the 3 Belgian stations on the high-speed rail network...
and Frankfurt (Main) Hauptbahnhof
Frankfurt (Main) Hauptbahnhof
is the central station for Frankfurt am Main. In terms of railway traffic, it is the busiest railway station in Germany. With about 350,000 passengers per day the station is the second most frequented railway station in Germany and one of the most frequented in Europe.- Proto-history :In the late...
.
Lines
There are three high-speed lines in Belgium which support 300 km/h (186.4 mph) operation, and one that supports speeds up to 260 km/h (161.6 mph). All are electrified at , unlike most of the rest of the network which uses .HSL 1
HSL 1HSL 1
The HSL 1 is a Belgian high speed rail line which connects Brussels with LGV Nord at the border with France. It is long with 71 km of dedicated high-speed tracks and 17 km of modernised lines. Service began on 14 December 1997....
connects Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
with the French border. 88 km (54.7 mi) long (71 km (44.1 mi) dedicated high-speed tracks, 17 km (10.6 mi) modernised lines), it began service on 14 December 1997. The line has appreciably shortened rail journeys, the journey from Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
to Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
now taking 1:22. In combination with the LGV Nord
LGV Nord
The LGV Nord is a French 333-kilometre long high speed rail line, opened in 1993, that connects Paris to the Belgian border and the Channel Tunnel via Lille....
, it has also impacted international journeys to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, ensuring high-speed through-running by Eurostar
Eurostar
Eurostar is a high-speed railway service connecting London with Paris and Brussels. All its trains traverse the Channel Tunnel between England and France, owned and operated separately by Eurotunnel....
, TGV
TGV
The TGV is France's high-speed rail service, currently operated by SNCF Voyages, the long-distance rail branch of SNCF, the French national rail operator....
, Thalys PBA and Thalys PBKA trainsets. The total construction cost was €1.42 billion.
HSL 2
HSL 2HSL 2
The HSL 2 is a Belgian high-speed rail line between Leuven and Ans. long, all of it dedicated high-speed tracks, it began service on 15 December 2002. As a part of the Belgian railway network, its formal owner is the Railway Infrastructure Fund...
runs between Leuven
Leuven
Leuven is the capital of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region, Belgium...
and Ans
Ans
Ans is a small Belgian municipality located in the Walloon province of Liège. On January 1, 2006 Ans had a total population of 27,322. The total area is 23.35 km² which gives a population density of 1,170 inhabitants per km²...
. 95 km (59 mi) long (61 km (37.9 mi) dedicated high-speed tracks, 34 km (21.1 mi) modernised lines) it began service on 15 December 2002. Combined with HSL 3 to the German border, the combined eastward high speed lines have greatly accelerated journeys between Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. HSL 2 is used by Thalys
Thalys
Thalys is an international high-speed train operator originally built around the high-speed line between Paris and Brussels. This track is shared with Eurostar trains that go from Paris or Brussels to London via Lille and the Channel Tunnel and with French domestic TGV trains. Thalys reaches...
and ICE
InterCityExpress
The Intercity-Express or ICE is a system of high-speed trains predominantly running in Germany and neighbouring countries. It is the highest service category offered by DB Fernverkehr and is the flagship of Deutsche Bahn...
trains as well as fast internal InterCity
InterCity
InterCity is the classification applied to certain long-distance passenger train services in Europe...
services.
HSL 3
HSL 3HSL 3
The HSL 3 is a Belgian high-speed rail line. It connects Liège to the German border near Aachen. The line is long, of which are dedicated high-speed tracks....
connects Liège to the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
border. 56 km (34.8 mi) long (42 km (26.1 mi) dedicated high-speed tracks, 14 km (8.7 mi) modernised lines), it was completed on 15 December 2007, but trains did not start to use it until June 14, 2009. HSL 3 is used by international Thalys
Thalys
Thalys is an international high-speed train operator originally built around the high-speed line between Paris and Brussels. This track is shared with Eurostar trains that go from Paris or Brussels to London via Lille and the Channel Tunnel and with French domestic TGV trains. Thalys reaches...
and ICE
InterCityExpress
The Intercity-Express or ICE is a system of high-speed trains predominantly running in Germany and neighbouring countries. It is the highest service category offered by DB Fernverkehr and is the flagship of Deutsche Bahn...
trains only, as opposed to HSL 2
HSL 2
The HSL 2 is a Belgian high-speed rail line between Leuven and Ans. long, all of it dedicated high-speed tracks, it began service on 15 December 2002. As a part of the Belgian railway network, its formal owner is the Railway Infrastructure Fund...
which is also used for fast internal InterCity
InterCity
InterCity is the classification applied to certain long-distance passenger train services in Europe...
services.
HSL 4
HSL 4HSL 4
The HSL 4 is a Belgian high-speed rail line which connects Brussels to the Dutch border. 87 km long , it was scheduled for completion by 2007.Together with the HSL 1 to the French border and HSL-Zuid to Amsterdam, the line has shortened journeys between Brussels,...
connects Antwerp north to the Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
border where it meets the HSL-Zuid
HSL-Zuid
HSL-Zuid , is a 125 km-long high-speed railway line in the Netherlands to the Belgian border, with a branch to Breda. Together with the Belgian HSL 4 it forms the Schiphol–Antwerp high-speed railway...
. It is 87 km (54.1 mi) long, comprising 40 km (24.9 mi) dedicated high speed tracks and 57 km (35.4 mi) modernised lines. Mostly completed in 2007, the opening of the line was delayed till December 2009 due to problems with signalling. HSL 4 is used by Thalys
Thalys
Thalys is an international high-speed train operator originally built around the high-speed line between Paris and Brussels. This track is shared with Eurostar trains that go from Paris or Brussels to London via Lille and the Channel Tunnel and with French domestic TGV trains. Thalys reaches...
trains and fast internal InterCity
InterCity
InterCity is the classification applied to certain long-distance passenger train services in Europe...
and NS Hispeed
NS Hispeed
NS Hispeed is the rail operator in the Netherlands that operates international intercity and high-speed train connections as well as national high-speed trains over the HSL-Zuid high speed line, which are branded as Fyra....
train service is planned for 2010. Between Brussels and Antwerp (47 km (29.2 mi)), trains travel at 160 km/h (99.4 mph) on the upgraded existing line (with the exception of a few segments where a speed limit of 120 km/h (74.6 mph) is imposed). At the E19/A12 motorway junction, trains leave the regular line to run on new dedicated high-speed tracks to the Dutch border (40 km (24.9 mi)) at 300 km/h (186.4 mph).
25N
25N :nl:Spoorlijn 25N, which is part of the Diabolo projectDiabolo project
The Diabolo project is creating a new railway line serving Brussels National Airport.It is so called because of its shape: the line forms a chord between the Brussels-Leuven line going east and the Brussels-Antwerp line going north, and connects with them via a triangular junction at each end...
, is being built between Schaarbeek
Schaarbeek
Schaerbeek or Schaarbeek is one of the nineteen municipalities located in the Brussels-Capital Region of Belgium. The first mention of the name was Scarenbecca, recorded in a document from the Bishop of Cambrai in 1120...
and Mechelen
Mechelen
Mechelen Footnote: Mechelen became known in English as 'Mechlin' from which the adjective 'Mechlinian' is derived...
and is being constructed for a maximum speed of 220km/hhttp://www.railway-technology.com/projects/diabloproject/. There is also a project underway to renovate Mechelen Station, which involves the construction of tracks at the edge of the station set aside for passing high-speed traffic.http://www.mecheleninbeweging.be/project/projectgebied.html When this line is completed, there will be a near-continuous stretch of high-speed line from Brussels to Amsterdam, save for the section between Mechelen and Antwerp. It is not known whether the Belgian government plans to construct a line between Mechelen and Antwerp. There are also areas where the trains cannot run at high speed near the stations: - for trains leaving Brussels, 220km/h will not be possible until the trains reach Schaarbeek and HSL-4 does not begin until a few kilometres after Antwerp. The track around Rotterdam station has curvatures that are too tight to allow trains to run at full speed and trains run on conventional track between Schiphol and Amsterdam.
Stations
There are 9 stations in Belgium where high-speed trains stop:- Antwerpen-Centraal
- BruggeBrüggeBrügge is a municipality in the district of Rendsburg-Eckernförde, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.Its small church and market square are noted for their beauty....
- Bruxelles-Midi / Brussel-Zuid
- Charleroi-SouthCharleroi-South railway stationThe Charleroi-South pre-metro station, simply known as South on network maps, was opened in 1976. Along with Vilette, Sud was the first station to enter service on the Charleroi pre-metro...
- Gent
- Liège-GuilleminsLiège-Guillemins railway stationLiège-Guillemins train station is the main station of the city of Liège, the third biggest city in Belgium. It is one of the most important hubs in the country and is one of the 3 Belgian stations on the high-speed rail network...
- MonsMonsMons is a Walloon city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut, of which it is the capital. The Mons municipality includes the old communes of Cuesmes, Flénu, Ghlin, Hyon, Nimy, Obourg, Baudour , Jemappes, Ciply, Harmignies, Harveng, Havré, Maisières, Mesvin, Nouvelles,...
- NamurNamurNamur may refer to:*Namur in Belgian context:**Namur , a municipality and a city of Belgium, the capital of Wallonia**Namur , a province in Wallonia, Belgium, named after the provincial capital city...
- Oostende