Belgium - General Information

From EGTRE
Jump to navigationJump to search

Country Name

Belgium (Belgie/Belgique)

National Railway System

Since 1 Jan. 2005, the infrastructure (Infrabel) and train operation (SNCB/NMBS) companies have been subsidiaries of the SNCB/NMBS Holding company.

National Railway Operator

  • 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.
  • Thalys is operated by two stand-alone companies, one owned by SNCF (60%) and SNCB/NMBS (40%), the other (for services to Germany and the Netherlands) owned by SNCF (62%), SNCB/NMBS (28%) and DB (10%) (NS is not a partner although services extend over that system).
  • Eurostar is operated by Eurostar International Ltd, owned by SNCF (controlling interest of 55%), private investors (who in 2015 acquired the 40% share previously owned by the UK government) and SNCB/NMBS (5%).

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

numeric 88; alpha B

Timetable

Journey Planner

Downloadable Timetable

On the Brochures de ligne web page, select either:

  • Indicateur des Chemins de Fer Belges: Lundi au vendredi, sauf jours fériés for weekday services or
  • Indicateur des Chemins de Fer Belges: Samedis, dimanches et jours fériés for weekend services

Printed Timetable

The Spoorboekje/Indicateur officiel, with some text in German and English as well as French and Flemish, is available as a series of leaflets, suitable for holding in a ring binder, although it is possible this is no longer available. The compilers would welcome news of the current situation.

Engineering Information

News of current or future traffic disruptions and alerts can be obtained at Traffic Disruptions and Alerts

Maps

Printed Maps

  • European Railway Atlas: France, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg by M.G. Ball (1991) (ISBN 0-7110-2011-6)
  • European Railway Atlas by M.G. Ball (2008 onwards)

Web-based Maps

(note that these URLs may change in future years so a little experimentation may be necessary to get later versions).

Ticketing

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 Flemish). 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.

Belgium vending machines can be found in the foreign border stations of Roosendaal and Maastricht, as well as Aachen (Aix la Chapelle), as services to these stations are served by SNCB EMUs.

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 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 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 stations. 'MOBIB' became the national chipcard for e-ticketing in Belgium public transport, more information is available at http://www.belgianrail.be/en/travel-tickets/mobib.aspx.

Seat reservations are available only on long-distance international services (they are mandatory on TGV-type services such as Thalys and Eurostar).

Infrastructure

Infrastructure Authority

Infrabel

Network Statement

The Network Statement page enables Network Statements to be downloaded.

Gauge

Standard

Electrification

3kV dc. However, 25kV 50Hz is used on high speed lines and in the Ardennes. The boundaries between the systems in the Ardennes are as follows:

  • Dinant - Virton: between Anseremme and Gendron-Celles
  • Libramont - Bertrix: just west of Libramont
  • (Liège -) Rivage - Gouvy (- Luxembourg): between Rivage and Aywaille
  • Arlon - Athus: between Y Autelbas and Messancy

Dual-system motive power is used on these lines.

Rule of the road

Left (but most lines are signalled for operation in either direction).

Distances

Technical documents Appendix E1 gives distances in metres for each significant location by Line Number.

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

Standard gauge, unless otherwise noted.

Rail cycling is possible on a number of lines; see the IG Draisinenfahrten website. Click on 'International', followed by 'Draisinenlinks' to obtain website details under the heading 'Draisinenstrecken in Belgien (BE)'.

Metro

Bruxelles, Antwerpen and Charleroi. The two latter networks consist of the central sections of metre-gauge tram routes.

A track plan for the Bruxelles system is available on the carto.metro.tramway.rer.funiculaire site.

Trams

City networks in Antwerpen, Bruxelles, Charleroi and Gent. The Kusttram operates along the coast in either direction from Oostende. In Bruxelles, the Musée du Transport Urbain Bruxellois - in the former Woluwe tram depôt - operates historic trams to Tervuren, and sometimes elsewhere around the city, as advertised, while in Antwerpen the Vlaams Tram- en Autobusmuseum - in a former depôt near Berchem station - similarly operates in the city, as advertised. See also the references to tramways under Tourist Lines.

A track plan for the Bruxelles system is available on the carto.metro.tramway.rer.funiculaire site. Track plans for the Charleroi and Kusttram systems are available on the Gleisplanweb site.

See also Belgium - Tram services over obscure routes

Recent and future changes

In January 2017 the federal Minister of Transport announced that SNCB has no plans to close any further lines, stations or halts.

Most of the Belgian railway system is now electrified. 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) to be created. "Project Diabolo", a northward extension of the Brussels Airport branch to join Line 25N (the new direct Brussels - Mechelen line running along the middle of the E19 motorway) by means of a triangular junction, opened on 10 June 2012 together with Line 25N itself. More frequent services between Brussels and the Airport via this line started on 14 December 2014. Services via the new "Watermael-Schuman-Josaphat" tunnel between Brussel/Bruxelles-Schuman and Line 26 south of Meiser started on 4 April 2016. The new line is used by services IC17 Dinant - Namur - Bruxelles-Schuman - Brussel Nationaal Luchthaven, IC27 Chareroi Sud - Nivelles - Bruxelles-Schuman - Brussel Nationaal Luchthaven, local trains between Geraardsbergen and Mechelen via Halle and Vilvoorde and peak hour trains between Braine l'Alleud and Leuven or Landen.

The restoration of scheduled local passenger services across the French border on the "classic" Nord main line from Quévy to Maubeuge and Aulnoye-Aymeries has been tried twice but EU policy requires cross-border services (unlike wholly internal ones) to be commercially viable; this proved impossible as this (and similar services), unlike competing road services, generally suffer from the need to comply with two independent sets of national standards, yet have a relatively small potential traffic.

A new short cutoff through a tunnel, avoiding the sharply curved section through Dolhain-Gileppe on the 'classic' route between Liège and Verviers, opened on 11 December 2011.

SNCB announced service cuts at the end of 2012, which involved withdrawal of certain local trains early in the morning and during the evening. However, local trains between Erquelinnes [BE] and Jeumont [FR] were withdrawn from 10 September 2012, severing this international crossing point for passengers.

Owing to technical problems encountered on the Fyra trains, SNCB and NS Hispeed suspended Fyra train services in February 2013 and later cancelled the contract entirely. A substitute direct InterCity service between Brussel/Bruxelles and Den Haag was inctroduced from 18 February 2013 with 2 trains each way per day, which increased to 8 trains from 11 March 2013. This was subsequently increased to hourly and extended to Amsterdam. This service will continue to run until replacement high speed trains are obtained.

From 7 April 2014 some Antwerpen - Neerpelt trains were extended to a reopened station at Hamont, on the Netherlands border, increased to an hourly service from 14 December 2014. There are proposals to electrify the line east of Herentals and extend this to Weert, to connect to the NS network.

A new transport plan was introduced with the timetable commencing on 14 December 2014, with the object of providing a more regular timetable. This has resulted in the disappearance of a number of obscure or peak hour only routes. The Thalys trains between Liège and Paris via Mons will be withdrawn from 1 April 2015.

From 17 February 2016 Virton - Rodange CFL was reduced to a skeleton service because the introduction of different signalling systems meant there was no suitable CFL rolling stock available; the service was withdrawn completely from 20 June 2016 but resumed from 11 December 2016.

On December 23 2016, SNCB announced [1] the reopening of line 125A from December 2016 including stations at Seraing and Ougrée with a service of L trains calling at Flémalle - Seraing - Liège - Liers.

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:

  • Intercity (IC, stopping only at main stations)
  • Inter-regional (IR, stopping at stations of at least medium importance)
  • 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).

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.

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.

Signal post numbering

  • in controlled area: F37 = signal F of blok (= block post or signal box) 37.
  • 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

  • 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.
  • 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.
  • trains between SNCB/NMBS and NS or CFL adopt Belgian practice throughout.
  • trains between SNCB/NMBS and SNCF carry different numbers within France (following the French pair/impair numbering practice) from those carried in Belgium.
  • 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.

See also