Last update for this page: 16 April 2007.
National Railway System: Société Nationale des Chemins der fer Belges (SNCB) and Nationale Maatschappij der Belgische Spoorwegen (NMBS) are the formal titles of the national railway system in French and Dutch respectively. However, these are usually shortened to "Chemins de fer Belges" and "Belgische spoorwegen". On rolling stock, station signs and publicity material the letter B in an oval is used instead of SNCB or NMBS. Since 1 Jan. 2005, the infrastructure (Infrabel) and train operation (SNCB/NMBS) companies have been subsidiaries of the SNCB/NMBS Holding company.
Languages: Belgium consists of three Regions: Flanders, to the north of the provincial boundary line running roughly between Menin and Visé, in which Dutch is the official language; Wallonia, to the south of that line, where French is the official language, and the Capital, Brussels, which is officially bi-lingual but mostly French-speaking. German is officially recognised in the area around Eupen and Malmedy. By law, public bodies must use only the official language(s) of each Region for texts in that Region, so travellers should be aware that, for example, the name of a train's destination may change significally during the journey (eg: Bergen = Mons, Luik = Liège). All railway personnel whose duties involve contact with the public are required on recruitment to show they can speak both languages, and some (especially in Flanders) are also fluent in English etc., but of course others may become rather out-of-practice in their second language. Railway tickets are normally issued from computer terminals and at bilingual stations may be issued in either language, depending on how the passenger requests it; some types of ticket purchases and reservations can now be made via the internet.
Currency: Euro
UIC code: 88
Timetable: Since 2002, the full Spoorboekje/Indicateur officiel, with some text in German and English as well as French and Dutch, has been published shortly before the annual change (second Sunday in December). In 2004, however, the presentation was changed, notably by removing much of the former comprehensive introduction which has been transferred to the free Guides to Tickets and Passes, and the price raised (to EUR 10.00). In the timetable section, weekday services for all lines in numerical order are shown first, followed by the corresponding weekend services. There is a fold-out route diagram showing timetable numbers. A separate free "IC/IR" booklet with details of the regular-interval limited-stop services identified by letters, including diagrams showing the service pattern between the principal stations on weekdays and on weekends, is similarly available at SNCB/NMBS stations.
Traditional long-distance international services to and from Belgium have been largely replaced by high-speed trains (Eurostar, Thalys, ICE, TGV), details of which are given in separate leaflets (and web sites); a slim International booklet covers only the stations abroad with through coaches to/from Belgium. Fortunately, comprehensive facilities for planning journeys by public transport in Belgium are now available on-line, not only from the railways' own Web site www.b-rail.be (from which timetables for individual lines can be downloaded) but also those of the Regional public transport companies De Lijn (www.delijn.be ) and the TEC (www.infotec.be). A version of the national timetable on CD-ROM providing journey-planning facilities on a computer (including connections by bus, tram and métro within the Brussels Region, and rail services in Luxembourg) is on sale at stations under the name "ARIdisk".
Gauge: Standard
Electrification: 3kV dc. However, 25kV 50Hz is used on high speed lines and for the recently-completed electrification work in the Ardennes. The Liège to Luxembourg line via Gouvy is 25kV south of Martinrive, as is the line from Dinant to Athus (and on into Luxembourg or France). Dual-system motive-power is used on both these lines.
Rule of the road: Left (but most lines are signalled for operation in either direction).
Other railways: None (but note that part of the existing nework was orginally built and operated by numerous private companies under concessions that required technical compatibility and inter-operation). Although ticketing for travel on international passenger services by Eurostar, Thalys etc. is handled by the SNCB/NMBS, their tariffs and conditions for reimbursement etc. are completely independent of those applicable to rail travel wholly within Belgium. Suitably-equipped motive power from neighbouring networks has long worked through into Belgium (and vice versa). And new rolling stock produced at Bombardier's factory in Brugge may occasionally be seen on test nearby.
Tourist lines:
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Le Chemin de fer à vapeur des Trois Vallees (CF3V): Mariembourg - Treignes. CF3V Trains formerly operated Dinant - Givet (France), and Mariembourg - Chimay and Momignies. |
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Stoomcentrum Maldegem: Eeklo - Maldegem, plus 600mm gauge line Maldegem - Donk |
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Stoomspoorlijn Dendermonde - Puurs: Dendermonde - Puurs |
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Rail Rebecq - Rognon: 600mm gauge line Rebecq - Rognon (sometimes steam-hauled) |
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Tramway des Grottes de Han: Diesel-operated metre-gauge tramway used in connection with visits to caves |
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Le Tramway Touristique de l'Aisne: Diesel-operated metre-gauge tramway. Pont d'Erezee - Forge-a-l'Aplez - Dochamps. (Due to steep gradients, only operates to Dochamps if rails are dry, there are not too many passengers and staff are available). |
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Le chemin de fer de Sprimont: 600mm gauge line utilising industrial diesel locomotives. |
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Association pour la Sauvegarde du Vicinal (ASVi): Museum on site of Thuin Nord station. Heritage metre-gauge tramway Thuin - rail bridge across r. Sambre; restoration of line to Lobbes (Ecoles) in progress. Connection to/from tram depot at Anderlues by TEC bus 91. Museum open on Sundays from April to end October, also Saturdays in July and August. |
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Patrimoine Ferroviaire Touristique: Collection of historic vehicles (St-Ghislain); restoration of Ciney - Spontin - Darnetal... (Bocq valley) line. |
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Kolenspoor As: Waterschei - As - Eisden www.kolenspoor.be. This operates as a return working from As to Eisden and from As to Waterschei. It is not known if the 600mm gauge line at As still runs. A regular special ‘De Blauwe Wimpel’ also runs for supporters of KRC Genk football club. |
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Vennbahn: Formerly operated from Eupen and Stolberg (Germany) via Raeren and Weywertz to Butgenbach and Trois Ponts. Part of the line between Raeren and Weywertz runs through Germany but, in accordance with the Treaty of Versailles, the trackbed and stations are Belgian national territory. All services have been suspended until further notice because of the poor state of the track. |
The musée du Transport Urbain Bruxellois in the former Woluwe depot operates historic trams to Tervuren, and sometimes elsewhere around Brussels, on weekends between Easter and the 'Train+Tram+Bus' day.
In Antwerpen, the former depôt near Berchem station houses a collection of historic metre-gauge trams, with operation in the city centre on summer Sundays.
Metro: Brussels, Antwerpen and Charleroi. The two latter networks consist of the central sections of certain local metre-gauge tram routes; implementation of the plans for further extension underground does not appear imminent.
Trams: City networks in Antwerpen, Brussels, Charleroi and Gent plus the "Kusttram" line along the coast from De Panne to Oostende and Knokke. Extensions have opened recently or are are under construction in Antwerpen, Brussels and Gent.
Recent and future changes:
Most of the Belgian railway system is now electrified. Further electrification is not foreseen, except for the new high-speed lines now being built and the proposed extension of the Brussel/Bruxelles Airport branch. New DMUs have recently entered service on the remaining non-electrified passenger services (to Couvin, Eeklo, Ronse, Neerpelt, Hasselt to Mol, Aalst to Burst and Gent to Geraardsbergen). Several of these lines had been under threat of closure, but this investment in new rolling stock suggests all will remain open. Major upgrading and new infrastructure (four-tracking) work has begun within a radius of about 30 km around Brussels in order to enable a "Regional Express Railway" (RER/GEN) to be created.
The De Panne branch was diverted to a new route between Diksmuide and Veurne on 28 January 1996 in order to eliminate seven level crossings, in the context of electrification.
The first stage of the high speed route from Lille to Brussels opened as far as Antoing on 2 June 1996 and operation over the the second stage (including 75 km under 25kV from the border to Lembeek, 15 km from Brussels) began on 14 December 1997. Work continues on providing it with a dedicated pair of tracks for the final approach to Zuid/Midi station. Two more high-speed routes are under construction from Brussels, to Köln and Amsterdam. The first stage of the former, including 60 km under 25 kV between Leuven and Liège, entered service on 15 December 2002; it is used by both TGVs (Thalys and ICE3) and the hourly Oostende - Eupen (IC A) trains. Work continues east of Liège on the second stage between Chênée and the Hammerbrücke bridge, including the new "Soumagne" tunnel (some 6 km long), and on four-tracking between northern Brussels and Leuven. The new high-speed route via Breda to Amsterdam involves extensive rebuilding at Antwerpen Centraal station, and excavation of a tunnel running beneath it between the existing stations at Berchem and Dam in order to avoid the present need for reversal.
The first stage of plans for improving rail access to Brussels Airport (which was reopened at a new location, partly for this purpose, on 1 May 1998) consists of a creating a triangular grade-separated junction with the Brussels - Leuven line between Zaventem and Nossegem. From mid-December 2005, this will significantly reduce the travelling time by rail between the airport and stations east of Nossegem. In a subsequent stage, the airport branch should be extended north to a triangular junction with a proposed new direct Brussels - Mechelen line running along the middle of the E19 motorway.
After a lengthy period of closure due to the need to replace a weak bridge, the railway between Puurs and Boom was re-opened to passengers on 25 May 1998. The associated curve from Boom to Willebroek was also reinstated but no service has been introduced over it. The possibility of restoring scheduled passenger services on various lines across the French border, such as that from Quévy to Maubeuge or Aulnoye-Aymeries, is sometimes discussed. However, the EU's liberalisation policy now requires all cross-border services (unlike wholly internal ones) to be commercially viable, and this is practically impossible in the case of such short rail links which, unlike competing road services, generally suffer from the need to comply with two independent sets of national requirements (staff training and qualification, safety systems, emergency procedures, accounting practice, not to mention scheduling constraints), yet have a relatively small potential traffic.
Expansion of the rail network serving Antwerpen Docks continues on both sides of the Schelde. The most urgent task is to relieve the bottleneck resulting from the present need for all north-bank traffic to run via L.27A through Berchem, and so work is proceeding to provide a second access route (L.11) via a connection to the NS Vlissingen branch near Woensdrecht. There are also longer-term plans to construct a new freight-only bypass line between L.27A at Ekeren and a point on L.16 just east of Lier.
The tramway between Anderlues and La Louviere closed in August 1993. The coastal tram line was extended from Adinkerke to De Panne NMBS station on 1 July 1998.
Special notes:
In principle, all passenger services within Belgium run at intervals of one hour or less (two hours, in the case of the routes with the least traffic) between approximately 06:00 and 22:00, grouped into three categories:
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Intercity (IC, stopping only at main stations) |
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Inter-regional (IR, stopping at stations of at least medium importance) |
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Local (L, stopping at all stations en route). |
Where possible, the schedules are designed to ensure convenient connections between L trains and limited-stop services. Additional trains are scheduled outside the fixed-interval framework in the early morning and late evening, at peak hours (P), and for tourist traffic in the holiday season (T). Seat reservations are available only on long-distance international services (they are mandatory on TGV-type services such as Thalys and Eurostar).
Many trains consist of electric multiple-units and some such services split en route to go to different destinations. Older units don't always carry a label to show where they are going, with reliance on ticket checks and public address announcements (making reference to the unit number, also displayed over the internal doorways) to ensure passengers are in the correct part of the train.
Ordinary tickets for travel between two SNCB/NMBS stations are valid only for direct journeys on the date of issue, in both outward and return directions. If it is desired to break one's journey, to travel other than via the direct route, or to travel on a later date, this must be specified when buying the ticket. The fare for such tickets is calculated from the distance shown in the timetable (which may include some fictional km, eg to finance exceptional infrastructure) and a fixed terminal charge. Numerous discounted fares are available (generally expressed as a % of the ordinarly fare apart from the terminal charge). A summary of the various options for travelling with reduced fares, such as minigroup and weekend returns, is given in the timetable, but for full information you should consult the booklet "Guide du Voyageur - Billets, Pass et Cartes" (or the equivalent in Dutch). Note also that tickets at the special fares applicable in several cases for short cross-border journeys can be bought only at the stations concerned. The Benelux-Tourrail card is particularly useful to tourists, allowing five days unlimited travel on the railways of Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg during a period of one month. A penalty charge is levied if a ticket is purchased on the train while the ticket office at the station is open. When boarding without a ticket at an unstaffed station, inform the conductor immediately upon joining the train if you wish to avoid the penalty.
Considerable efforts have been made to improve integration between the various public transport services in Belgium. As well as timetable coordination, this has taken the form of through ticketing, so that eg travellers can buy a rail ticket valid for connecting travel by bus/tram/métro within the flat-fare zone of major cities. In Brussels, standard 'Jump' flat-fare single, multi-ride and 1-day tickets valid on the urban bus/tram/métro network are now similarly valid for travel by rail between any of the city's 28 stations. The first Saturday in October is usually "Train+Tram+Bus" (TTB) day, when a flat-rate ticket for unlimited travel throughout the country is available and some special services are also operated.
Each rail line in Belgium is identified by a line number, which is usually the same as the corresponding table number in the public timetable. Line numbers are displayed in white on blue hexagonal boards beside the track at junctions. Information intended for railway staff only (eg depots and stabling points, types of equipment) is conveyed by means of telegraphic codes; FSD = Ostend , HLE = electric loco etc.). Other trackside boards indicate line speed-limits (in tens of km/h), gradients over 12/1000, prohibition of 3-phase motive power ("DMT") etc.
Maps: The detailed printed sheet map of the SNCB/NMBS network at approx 1:365,000 scale, known as the Netkaart/Carte du Reseau, is no longer available, but an on-line interactive version can be consulted at www.b-rail.be/corp/F/common/netcard_flash/index.php. There is a map showing passenger, freight and closed lines at users.skynet.be/fa058639/carte/reseau.pdf.
Other General Information:
Signal post numbering
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in controlled area: F37 = signal F of blok (= block post or signal box) 37. |
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automatic signals on open line: A806 = signal on track A at km 80,6; BX753 = signal on track B for trains running in "wrong" (right-hand) direction at km 75,3, where the X denotes "wrong" direction; signals for use in the wrong direction show occulting aspects - the V of small white lights above certain signals is lit when the signal is cleared for a movement starting or ending such 'wrong direction' running. |
Passenger train numbering
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the concept of "up" and "down" (or pair and impair in French practice) to describe the direction of movement does not apply in Belgium; on a double track line one will be "A" and the other "B", with direction "A" being that in which the trackside km increases. |
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internal trains carry three or four digit numbers of which the first two digits denote route (and indicate direction) while the final digit(s) provide unique train number within that route - whether the final digit is odd or even carries no significance. |
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trains between SNCB/NMBS and NS or CFL adopt Belgian practice throughout. |
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trains between SNCB/NMBS and SNCF carry different numbers within France (following the French pair/impair numbering practice) from those carried in Belgium. |
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International trains (classified as such) may have two (adjacent - one odd, one even) numbers, to accommodate the numbering systems of those adjacent administrations where odd and even numbers do denote direction; for motorail (AutoTrain) services originating in Benelux, the odd number will be one less than the even number. |
Last complete update 13 February 1999; minor update, and "Other General Information" added (11/19 September 1999); electrification details updated (13 October 1999); minor updates (11 January 2000 and 7 May 2000); general update (18 February 2001); Gent to Geraardsbergen added to list of non-electrified passenger lines (21 October 2001); "languages" updated (9 December 2001); Currency updated (2 January 2002); general revision (14 March 2003); general revision (6 & 7 June 2005); link to Brussels Tram Museum amended (3 March 2006); "Maps" amended (24 March 2006); Tourist Line As - Eisden updated (3 October 2006); ASVi details amended (16 April 2007).
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