Belgian railway line 25

Belgian railway line 25
NMBS 809 (type MS75) arrives at platform 4 of Mechelen-Nekkerspoel station in 2012
Overview
Status	Operational
Locale	Belgium
Termini	Brussels-North railway station Antwerpen-Luchtbal railway station
Service
Services	Belgium Railway Line 25 Legend km North–South connection to Brussels-South 0.0 Brussels-North Line 161 to Namur │ Line 50 to Ghent 2.4 Schaarbeek Line 36 to Leuven Line 26 to Halle 7.3 Buda to Leuven 00.0 09.4 Vilvoorde 13.6 Eppegem to Mechelen 15.9 Weerde to Dendermonde 20.4 Mechelen to Leuven 00.0 22.0 Mechelen-Nekkerspoel 26.5 Sint-Katelijne-Waver Nete River 28.9 Duffel to Lier 00.0 33.8 Kontich 36.2 Hove to Mortsel 38.1 Mortsel-Oude-God 39.7 Mortsel-Deurnesteenweg to Mortsel to Lier Line 59 to Ghent 42.8 Antwerpen-Berchem Antwerp–Lage Zwaluwe railway 43.8 Antwerpen-Centraal Antwerp–Lage Zwaluwe railway Albert Canal 47.6 Antwerpen-Luchtbal Antwerp–Lage Zwaluwe railway to Roosendaal HSL 4 to Rotterdam This diagram: view talk edit
Operator(s)	National Railway Company of Belgium
History
Opened	1835-2007
Technical
Line length	48 km (30 mi)
Number of tracks	double track
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification	3 kV DC
Route map Legend km North–South connection to Brussels-South 0.0 Brussels-North Line 161 to Namur │ Line 50 to Ghent 2.4 Schaarbeek Line 36 to Leuven Line 26 to Halle 7.3 Buda to Leuven 00.0 09.4 Vilvoorde 13.6 Eppegem to Mechelen 15.9 Weerde to Dendermonde 20.4 Mechelen to Leuven 00.0 22.0 Mechelen-Nekkerspoel 26.5 Sint-Katelijne-Waver Nete River 28.9 Duffel to Lier 00.0 33.8 Kontich 36.2 Hove to Mortsel 38.1 Mortsel-Oude-God 39.7 Mortsel-Deurnesteenweg to Mortsel to Lier Line 59 to Ghent 42.8 Antwerpen-Berchem Antwerp–Lage Zwaluwe railway 43.8 Antwerpen-Centraal Antwerp–Lage Zwaluwe railway Albert Canal 47.6 Antwerpen-Luchtbal Antwerp–Lage Zwaluwe railway to Roosendaal HSL 4 to Rotterdam This diagram: view talk edit

The Belgian railway line 25 is a railway line in Belgium connecting Brussels to Antwerp. The section between Brussels and Mechelen was completed on 5 May 1835 and was the first railway in Belgium and the first public passenger steam railway in continental Europe. On 3 May 1836, the second section, between Mechelen and Antwerp, was opened. It was extended to Luchtbal in the north of Antwerp in 2007 by means of a tunnel under the city  [ nl ] in order to shorten the route from Amsterdam to Brussels. The total line runs 47.6 km (29.6 mi). ^[1]

Over most of its length, it is paralleled by line 27  [ fr ] so that four tracks are available. During business hours, line 25 serves fast trains while local trains use line 27.

The line goes through the following stations:

• Brussels-North
• Schaarbeek
• Buda  [ fr ]
• Vilvoorde
• Eppegem
• Weerde
• Mechelen
• Mechelen-Nekkerspoel
• Sint-Katelijne-Waver
• Duffel
• Kontich
• Hove
• Mortsel-Oude-God
• Mortsel-Deurnesteenweg
• Antwerpen-Berchem
• Antwerpen-Central
• Antwerpen-Luchtbal

L25N

A recent addition is line 25N, which branches off south of Mechelen to follow the E19 motorway into the Diabolo to Brussels Airport. As of 2019, works are underway to extend this line 25N through the Mechelen station, adding two platforms, to rejoin the "regular" line 25 North of Nekkerspoel station. ^[2] L25N has 3 kV DC electrification, and allows speeds up to 160 km/h (100 mph).

References

1. "Ligne 25 : Bruxelles-Nord - Antwerpen-Centraal". BelRail.be. 10 August 2007.
2. Transformatie Mechelse stationsomgeving definitief van start, 7 januari 2013, Knack

• Local language network overview