The Belgian railway line 50 is a railway line in Belgium connecting Brussels to Ghent. The first section between Ghent and Schellebelle was finished in 1837, offering a connection to Brussels through Dendermonde and Mechelen. The section between Schellebelle and Brussels was completed on 1 May 1856. [1]
A section between Ghent and Ostend was completed in 1838 and is named line 50A. Between 1923 and 1933, line 50A was extended to Brussels, which provides a fast connection between Brussels and Ghent. [2] Where the original line 50 enters Brussels from the north, after passing through Aalst, the latter 50A enters Brussels from the south; this allows through trains from the west of the country to the east or vice versa without having to reverse. In 2016, line 50A was widened with two extra tracks, labelled 50C, between Denderleeuw and Brussels; the main reason was the increase in traffic from the GEN/RER commuter trains. [3]
The following stations are located on the original line 50:
A new CERIA/COOVI station was built in Anderlecht, near the CERIA/COOVI campus; it entered service with the updated schedules on 14 December 2020, with an hourly service by the S3 line of the Brussels Regional Express Network.
Ghent is a city and a municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the province of East Flanders, and the third largest in the country, after Brussels and Antwerp. It is a port and university city.
Brussels-Central railway station is a railway and metro station in central Brussels, Belgium. It is the second busiest railway station in Belgium and one of three principal railway stations in Brussels, together with Brussels-South and Brussels-North. First completed in 1952 after protracted delays caused by economic difficulties and World War II, it is the newest of Brussels' main rail hubs.
Brussels-South railway station is a major railway station in Brussels, Belgium. Geographically, it is located in Saint-Gilles/Sint-Gillis on the border with the adjacent municipality of Anderlecht and just south of the City of Brussels.
Gent-Sint-Pieters railway station is the main railway station in Ghent, East Flanders, Belgium, and the fourth-busiest in Belgium and busiest in Flanders, with 17.65 million passengers a year. The station is operated by the National Railway Company of Belgium (NMBS/SNCB).
Brussels-North railway station is one of the three major railway stations in Brussels, Belgium; the other two are Brussels-Central and Brussels-South. Every regular domestic and international train passing there has a planned stop. The station has 200,000 passengers per week, mainly commuters, making it one of the busiest in Belgium.
Brussels-West Station is a multimodal transport hub located in the municipality of Molenbeek-Saint-Jean, in the western part of Brussels, Belgium. It mainly consists of Gare de l'Ouest (French) or Weststation (Dutch), a Brussels Metro station on lines 1, 2, 5 and 6, as well as a tram and bus stop. Additionally, Brussels-West railway station is a railway station operated by the National Railway Company of Belgium (SNCB/NMBS). It is served by the Brussels Regional Express Network (RER/GEN) service.
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 in order to shorten the route from Amsterdam to Brussels. The total line runs 47.6 km (29.6 mi).
Bordet railway station is a railway station in the municipality of Evere in Brussels, Belgium, operated by the National Railway Company of Belgium (NMBS/SNCB). The station lies on line 26, between Haren and Evere railway stations.
Evere railway station is a railway station in the municipality of Evere in Brussels, Belgium. The station opened on 19 July 1926, is located under street level, and can be accessed via the Rue Auguste De Boeck/Auguste De Boeckstraat. The station lies on line 26, between Bordet and Meiser railway stations. The train services are operated by the National Railway Company of Belgium (NMBS/SNCB).
Leuven railway station is the main railway station in Leuven, Flemish Brabant, Belgium. The station is operated by the National Railway Company of Belgium (NMBS/SNCB) and is located on railway line 36. In 2007, it was the fifth-busiest station in Belgium, only preceded by the three main Brussels stations and Gent-Sint-Pieters railway station.
Bockstael railway station is a railway station in Brussels, Belgium, operated by the National Railway Company of Belgium (NMBS/SNCB). It opened in 1982 to replace Laeken railway station.
Jette railway station is a railway station in the municipality of Jette in Brussels, Belgium, opened in 1892. The station, operated by the National Railway Company of Belgium (NMBS/SNCB), is located south of King Baudouin Park on the Place Cardinal Mercier/Kardinaal Mercierplein. It lies on line 50, between Bockstael and Berchem-Sainte-Agathe railway stations.
Berchem-Sainte-Agathe railway station or Sint-Agatha-Berchem railway station is a railway station in the municipality of Berchem-Sainte-Agathe in Brussels, Belgium. The station, operated by the National Railway Company of Belgium (NMBS/SNCB), is located on line 50, between Jette and Groot-Bijgaarden railway stations. It can be accessed from the Place de la Gare/Stationplein next to the Chaussée de Gand/Gentsesteenweg.
The Belgian railway line 50A is a railway line in Belgium connecting Brussels to Ostend through Ghent and Bruges. The section between Ghent and Ostend was completed in 1838. The section between Ghent and Brussels was opened between 1923 and 1933, offering a faster connection than the existing line 50. The total length of the line is 114.3 km.
The Belgian railway line 59 is a railway line in Belgium connecting Antwerp with Ghent. It was opened between 1844 and 1847. Until 1970, the eastern terminus of the railway was a station on the left bank of the river Scheldt, opposite the city centre of Antwerp. Since 1970, the railway is connected to Antwerp central station by a rail tunnel under the Scheldt. The total length of the line between Antwerpen-Berchem and Gent-Dampoort is 55.8 km.
The Belgian railway line 15 is a railway line in Belgium connecting Antwerp with Hasselt. It was opened between 1855 and 1925. The total length of the line between the Drabstraat junction and the Zonhoven junction is 92.1 km. Line 15 is not the shortest or fastest connection between Antwerp and Hasselt: the faster trains take the 14 km shorter route through Lier, Aarschot and Diest.
Transport in Flanders is run in two levels regarding the federal nature of Belgium with certain functions run on behalf of the national Cabinet of Belgium and other functions run on behalf of Flemish Government. Therefore, the railways are run at national level by NMBS and are under the auspices of the Cabinet of Belgium, whilst the light railways are run at regional level by De Lijn under the auspices of the Flemish Government. The railway infrastructure is managed by Infrabel and thus is under the auspices of the Cabinet of Belgium.
Aalst railway station is a railway station in Aalst, East Flanders, Belgium. The station opened on 9 June 1853 and is located on railway lines 50 and 82. The train services are operated by the National Railway Company of Belgium (NMBS/SNCB).
Denderleeuw railway station is a railway station in Denderleeuw, East Flanders, Belgium. The station opened on 7 April 1855 and is located on railway lines 50, 89 and 90. The train services are operated by the National Railway Company of Belgium (NMBS/SNCB).