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National Company of Light Railways

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The National Company of Light Railways ( Dutch : Nationale Maatschappij Van Buurtspoorwegen , abbreviated as NMVB ; French : Société Nationale des Chemins de fer Vicinaux , abbreviated as SNCV ) was a state-owned transportation provider which comprised a system of narrow-gauge tramways or local railways in Belgium , which covered the whole country, including the countryside, and had a greater route length than the mainline railway system. They were 1,000 mm ( 3 ft  3 + 3 ⁄ 8  in ) metre gauge and included electrified city lines and rural lines using steam locomotives and diesel railcars; half the system was electrified.

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65-567: The company gradually switched to buses and dismantled the tram tracks. Only the coastal line , the Charleroi light rail system , and the short line to the caves at Han-sur-Lesse are still in commercial use; four museums hold significant collections of rolling stock, including the museum at Schepdaal and the ASVi museum in Thuin . The longest (11 km (6.8 mi)) and oldest (40 years) tourist tramway

130-562: A 'tram-bus'. The Ringtrambus (route 820) from Brussels Airport to Jette opened on 28 June 2020, operated by 14 24-metre double-articulated buses. The initial half-hourly frequency was doubled to quarter-hourly on 1 September 2020. Other proposals have been aborted. During 2014 and 2015, STIB/MIVB promoted a project to 'tramify' the Porte de Namur/Naamsepoort – Delta section of the overloaded 71 bus route, which carries over 12,000 passengers per day in each direction. The Brussels Region supported

195-630: A concrete raft underneath the whole junction. On the overground parts of the network, trams drive at sight, while the underground premetro sections have block signalling. However, drivers do not need to check in and out of the signalled section as on the Muni system in San Francisco . An exception is in the earliest tunnel to be built, at the Lemonnier stop, where passengers cross the tracks using an underground level crossing . This station will be bypassed when

260-428: A new "Tram Plan" to build 13 new lines totalling 40 km in length by 2035. STIB/MIVB published more detail on 5 May 2023. The 13 major projects are: Tracks are renewed periodically, both when they wear out, and also to increase the lateral clearance between them, to enable the safe passage of wider trams. Minor imperfections are smoothed by in-situ welding. When a temporary diversion is required, STIB/MIVB often installs

325-542: A peak of approximately 3,938 kilometres (2,447 mi) in 1925, but soon parts started to close as usage of buses , lorries , and electric trams increased. Starting from 1924, the NMVB/SNCV started to operate buses (either owned or hired). At this time, the electric tramway network was already 523 kilometres (325 mi) in length. In 1939, the NMVB/SNCV operated 161 regular bus lines amounting to 279 kilometres (173 mi). After World War II lorries, buses, and cars deprived

390-457: A set of temporary or 'Californian' points which sits on top of the permanent rails. Tracks have historically been embedded in stone setts, with STIB/MIVB taking responsibility for the road up to 30 cm (12 in) on either side of the rails. However, recently, tarmac has been used, which improves conditions for cyclists. In recent years, when major junctions have been relaid, the opportunuity has been taken to increase stability by installing

455-522: A stub. In around 2011, the reversing triangle for route 39 at Ban Eik was converted into a stub. The 19 terminus at Groot-Bijgaarden lost its 650-metre-long (2,130 ft) triangular loop on 18 October 2021. Lines 3 and 7 both link the Heysel/Heizel Plateau in the north-west of the city with Churchill in Uccle in the south, the 3 traversing the western side of the city centre and the 7 following

520-688: A very limited range. Trolley power, used in Liège , was also tried in Brussels and in 1894 Brussels' first electric tram lines were laid from the Place Stéphanie/Stefanieplein to Uccle . Several companies built their own tram lines until the turn of the century, the most important being Les Tramways Bruxellois (TB): founded on 23 December 1874 on the merger of the Belgian Street Railways and Omnibus Company Limited led by Albert Vaucamp and

585-486: A very varied feel, including street running through narrow streets in working-class districts (line 81), cobbled central reservation, reserved track through parkland and woods (line 44), signal-controlled running in tunnels (the premetro lines 3 and 4 in the North–South Axis , and 7), and short stretches in cutting (the old route 18, closed in 2007). Almost all trams are double-ended and all are double-sided, and there

650-532: A year. Between Trône/Troon and Etterbeek Station, it is saturated at 1,000 passengers per hour in each direction. The best option would be to connect it to the planned tram from the Central Station to Tour & Taxis, but this poses the question of how to route it through the city centre. As for the southern terminus, it might be truncated to the ULB or Delta. On 28 March 2023 the Brussels regional government announced

715-430: Is 4.15%, despite periodic enforcement campaigns, and this is being addressed by the installation of ticket barriers in all metro stations. From 2013, the obligation to check out of as well as into the system is being progressively introduced. As of 2017, there are 17 tram routes, totalling 141.1 km (87.7 mi), and serving most parts of the city, including three partial ring routes (7, 8, and 81). The routes have

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780-662: Is a light rail service connecting the cities and towns along the Belgian ( West Flanders ) coast between De Panne , near the French border, and Knokke-Heist , near the Dutch border. At 67 kilometres (42 mi) in length, it is currently the world's longest metre gauge tram line, and the second-longest light rail service in the world after the A Line of the Los Angeles Metro Rail system after it opened in 2023, as well as one of

845-442: Is a fairly even mixture of stub and loop termini. The route pattern shows some notable gaps, particularly along major radial routes, because these were originally served by the national network of buurtspoorwegen/tramways vicinaux . These used 1,000 mm ( 3 ft  3 + 3 ⁄ 8  in ) metre gauge , rather than the Brussels 1,435 mm ( 4 ft  8 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ) standard gauge , and so

910-416: Is extended to Albert) and conversion of route 49 to form a western ring line, as well as extension of route 8 northwards to Evere and eastwards to Jezus-Eik . On 8 November 2022, it was reported to the regional Mobility Committee that STIB/MIVB has launched a feasibility study on the 'tramification' of bus 95, to report in 2023. The 95 is Brussels' busiest bus route, on a par with the 71 at 7.25m passengers

975-508: Is the Tramway Touristique de l'Aisne (TTA), between Érezée and Dochamps . A sponsoring group called "Tramania" has supported various tramway preservation initiatives for 13 years, in particular by financing the construction of the Thuin museum and car restoration for TTA. Legislation allowing the construction of rural tramways was passed in 1875, followed by a new law in 1885. The result

1040-423: Is the 16th largest tram system in the world by route length, in 2017 providing 149.1 million journeys (up 9.5% on 2016) over routes 140.6 km (87.4 mi) in length. In 2018, it consisted of 18 tram lines (eight of which—lines 3, 4, 7, 25, 32, 51, 55 and 82—qualified as premetro lines, and five of which—lines 3, 4, 7, 8 and 9—qualified as "Chrono" or "Fast" lines). Brussels trams are operated by STIB/MIVB ,

1105-590: The Brussels Stock Exchange as their central hub. In addition, there were smaller companies: Tramways de Bruxelles à Evere et Extensions : founded in 1883, and Chemin de Fer à Voie Etroite de Bruxelles à Ixelles-Boondael (BIB): founded in 1884, and taken over by the TB on 28 April 1899. These last two companies used 1,000 mm ( 3 ft  3 + 3 ⁄ 8  in ) metre gauge track and started with steam traction instead of with horse trams. In 1899,

1170-553: The Leopoldkanaal locks, and the similar single track diversion around the inland end of the Boudewijnkanaal lock. The maximum speed is officially 70 kilometres per hour (43 mph). This speed is common between the villages. In 2021–22, 48 new CAF Urbos Zeelijner low-floor trams entered service to replace all the older BN series 6000, the last of which was withdrawn on 23 September 2023. The series 6000 were similar to

1235-581: The Métro Léger de Charleroi LRV fleet and, to a lesser extent, the LRTA 1000 class of the Manila Light Rail Transit System yellow line . They were originally six-axle vehicles with two sections, but later extended with an extra low-floor centre section. During the summers from 2006 to 2022 HermeLijn trams were loaned from Ghent and Antwerp tram networks (also operated by De Lijn) for use on

1300-650: The Namur Gate to the Bois de la Cambre/Ter Kamerenbos . In 1877, a steam tram was introduced but it was not powerful enough for the hilly terrain and the tests were stopped. Simultaneously the Tramways Bruxellois experimented with a locomotive built in Tubize , but it did not work either. The components proved too fragile and this experiment was also discontinued. In 1887, experiments were made with accumulator trams, but these had

1365-597: The Société des Voies ferrées Belges led by William Morris (Morris & Sheldon Company). The TB started with five horse tramlines: Schaerbeek–Room Forest (Morris), Uccle–Place Stephanie (Morris), Place Liedts–Saint-Gilles (Vaucamp), Laeken–South (Vaucamp), and Laeken–Anderlecht (Vaucamp). Another was Société générale des Chemins de Fer Économiques (CFE), popularly known as the chocolate trams because of their colour: known before 1880 as Compagnie Générale de Tramways . The CFE electrified its lines from 1904 onwards. These lines had

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1430-620: The 1950s and 60s—have been followed by the specially designed " T2000 " low-floor model and, at the end of 2005, by a variant of the off-the-shelf " Flexity Outlook " from Bombardier (3000 series), and, at the end of 2006, by an even longer version of the same family (4000 series). On some of the busiest routes, the convenience of the low floor is lost because of the anomalies caused by the hesitant upgrade of tram to metro. The city has four heavy metro lines and three stretches of premetro or underground tram. The premetro tunnels have been built to allow for eventual upgrade to heavy metro, so most of

1495-536: The 1990s, with many routes being replaced by metro lines or converted to bus routes. Only with investment in new equipment (the T2000 tram) and the upgrading and improvement of the tram network did the balance turn positive. The system exists in a somewhat unusual local government context, because Brussels is a self-governing region, as an enclave within Flanders , although only some 3.3 km (2.1 mi) from Wallonia at

1560-456: The 20th century, those operated by the Tramways Bruxellois were dark green, and those by the Chemins de Fer Economiques were chocolate. The two companies merged in the 1920s, whereupon a standard livery of primrose yellow was adopted which lasted (with some minor changes in the trimmings) until the mid-1990s when a brighter shade of yellow was adopted. A profound change in livery came in 2006 with

1625-454: The 21st-century political climate, investment in light rail has again taken off, and a number of extensions to the system are at various stages of fruition. Lines 3, 7 and 9 are to be connected at Heysel/Heizel, and on 20 December 2018, Brussels Mobility Minister Pascal Smet announced that the next two lines to be built, estimated to open in 2024, will run from Rogier to Belgica via Brussels-North and Tour et Taxis/Thurn en Taxis (seat of

1690-662: The 62 to Brussels Airport (with the infrastructure being paid for by the Flemish Region), divert the 92 from the Rue Royale/Koningsstraat to serve Brussels Central Station , as well as to rebuild the east–west link through the city centre from Bourse/Beurs to the Place Royale/Koningsplein . On 18 July 2019, the Brussels Government, in its programme for the period 2019–2024, committed itself to set

1755-585: The Flemish Regional Government), as well as from Rogier to Hôpital Militaire/Militaire Ziekenhuis in Neder-Over-Heembeek via Van Praet (line 10). The Flemish Region, under its Brabantnet plan, intends to build a new line to the north of the city, from Heysel/Heizel to Willebroek alongside the A12 road. Its success will require integration with the existing Brussels regional system; for instance

1820-516: The Ma Campagne and Janson crossroads, which lie 300 metres (980 ft) from each other on the Chaussée de Charleroi/Charleroisesteenweg . There is lateral space for only one track in a raised central reservation, and the rails swerve to the left approximately 100 metres (330 ft) in front of the junction so that cars can queue in the right-hand lane. Between 2006 and 2009, a phased transformation of

1885-578: The TB system. In 1935, the Brussels tram network was 240 km (150 mi) long, making it one of the largest tram networks in Europe. There were almost 100 tram lines, including many direct connections between the various boroughs. For the Brussels International Exposition of 1935 , the famous '5000-series' trams, the first in Brussels with two bogies, were put into service. Because the TB concession expired on 31 December 1945, an agreement

1950-525: The TB was granted a 45-year concession on condition that the whole network was electrified, a condition that was met in the following years. Until the First World War, many investments were made in the network, such as heavier rails and more powerful trams. The vicinal/buurtspoor networks set up city services. Tram services were not restored to normality until 1925. During the war, there was poor maintenance, many horses were requisitioned and tram equipment

2015-489: The adoption of the so-called Art Nouveau livery of silver and light brown on the new 3000 and 4000 vehicles. The rest of the active fleet has been repainted. The system exists in happy symbiosis with an active heritage operation based at the Woluwe depot, and privately hired trams have free access to the tracks. Trams that still collect their current through trolley poles rather than pantographs are normally restricted to

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2080-647: The buses of the Belgian railways ( SNCB/NMBS ) were transferred to SNCV/NMVB. The tramways from Brussels to Wemmel , Koningslo  [ nl ] and Grimbergen closed in 1978. Political federalism within Belgium from 1980 onwards saw the splitting of many national institutions into separate bodies for Flanders , Wallonia , and the Brussels-Capital Region . SNCV/NMVB was broken up in 1991 into De Lijn (for Flanders) and TEC (for Wallonia), both companies were now primarily operating buses. De Lijn inherited

2145-536: The closest point. This means that three-way deals are necessary between Brussels' own STIB/MIVB , Flanders' De Lijn and Wallonia's TEC . STIB/MIVB sees itself as a provider of mobility rather than just public transport, and has a 49% share in the Cambio carsharing franchise. The Brussels conurbation —19 municipalities plus adjoining commuter belt—is also served by a fairly dense network of main-line trains. The MOBIB contactless smart card can be used on buses, trams,

2210-485: The coast tram line. All trams, except the loaned HermeLijn from Ghent are unidirectional and have to be turned on a loop in order to reverse direction. 51°15′54″N 3°00′20″E  /  51.26495°N 3.00544°E  / 51.26495; 3.00544 Trams in Brussels The Brussels tramway network is a tram system serving a large part of the Brussels-Capital Region of Belgium . It

2275-437: The coastal tram. The service makes 67 stops along the almost 67 km (42 mi) line, with a tram running every 10 min during the peak summer months (every 20 min in the winter months), and in 2016 was used by roughly 15 million passengers. Notable features are the sea-view between Ostend and Middelkerke , the tracks through the dunes at De Haan , the fast speed, the two alternative routes that exist around both ends of

2340-460: The day, branded Chrono . Tram line 55 from Schaerbeek (north of Brussels) that used to use the North–South Axis now terminates at Rogier. The old line 52 was replaced by line 3 in the north (from Brussels-South to Thomas and from Van Praet to Esplanade), 82 (from Drogenbos to Lemonnier) and 32 in the south. The old tram line 56 was also withdrawn. A previously implemented part of the plan

2405-480: The eastern ring road. At the Churchill terminus, a strictly-timed manoeuvre takes place to allow trams to lay over and then depart in the reverse direction. The terminus is situated in the middle of a traffic roundabout where eight streets meet, and consists of a circle of track bisected by a through line, connected by four sets of points. The manoeuvre consists of the following steps: While transferring passengers use

2470-407: The few interurban tramways in the world to remain in operation. The line is fully electrified at 600 V DC . What is now the coast line started out as part of the extensive Belgian Vicinal tramway , a network of interurban trams that once covered the entire nation. The first section of the coast line between Ostend and Nieuwpoort was opened in 1885. This original route was further inland than

2535-461: The following additional developments in train: conversion of bus route 95 from the Central Station to the university area (partially making up for the failed conversion of route 71), extension of route 25 eastwards to serve the Mediapark, extension of route 7 westwards to Forest (this may include a tunnel under Forest/Vorst Park from Albert, where lines 4, 7 and 51 will terminate when the heavy metro

2600-494: The line is converted to heavy metro and the new Toots Thielemans station built slightly to its east. As of 18 September 2017, the fleet consists of 396 trams, of the following types: As of 18 June 2019, 90 new sets of Flexities are on order. The development of the system is being pulled in two contradictory directions – towards low-floor street-running trams and high-floor underground railway. This has led to some conflicting decisions. The standard trams—still " PCC 's from

2665-401: The line will have to be built at standard rather than metre gauge (as the other Flemish trams are). Three other suburban/interurban lines had been proposed: from Brussels westwards to Ninove , from Brussels north-eastwards to Heist-op-den-Berg , and from Heysel/Heizel via Vilvoorde to Brussels Airport . The first two proposals were withdrawn, while the last has been implemented in 2020 as

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2730-493: The local public transport company. The network's development has demonstrated many of the quandaries that face local public transport planners. It also has several interesting peculiarities: the inconsistent route pattern resulting from the closure of the interurban trams, the conflict between low-floor surface trams and high-floor underground trams, and whether the trams run on the right or the left. Belgium's first horse-drawn trams were introduced in Brussels in 1869, running from

2795-450: The major refurbishment of the standard cars, STIB/MIVB had a great need for modern equipment to serve the 1958 Brussels World's Fair ( Expo '58 ), to which its organisers wished to provide public transport access from the whole city. To this end, large turning loops for hundreds of trams were laid out in the exhibition grounds. Between 1951 and 1953, the PCC car entered Brussels with motor car 7001,

2860-460: The metro and for mainline railway season tickets, and is gradually being extended to other modes, although it is not yet accepted for single journeys by De Lijn. A simple tariff system permits unlimited changes with a one-hour period for €2.50 when bought from the driver, €2.10 from a ticket machine. Real-time arrival indicators have been installed at many tram stops. On 1 July 2020, contactless payment by debit card, credit card, smartphone or smartwatch

2925-636: The modern one and only short parts of the original section in Ostend and Nieuwpoort centres are still in operation. On its creation, the line was managed by the NMVB ( Nationale Maatschappij van Buurtspoorwegen ), that operated an interurban tram system throughout Belgium. In 1991, the NMVB/SNCV was broken into two regional companies, one Walloon and the other Flemish , with the Flemish successor company, Vlaamse Vervoermaatschappij De Lijn taking responsibility for operation of

2990-417: The network took place, with the aim of improving regularity and relieving overcrowding. The premetro service between Brussels-North railway station and Albert was restructured with fewer lines passing through it, but at more regular intervals. These routes use the new longer Bombardier trams. The major part of the North–South Axis (from Lemonnier to Rogier ) is now used only by lines 3 and 4 during

3055-452: The north to Vanderkindere in the south. Valid as of 11 December 2021. Stricken-out ( barré/doorgestrepen ) route numbers represent partial services (they do not go up to the end of the line). Only regular services are shown in this list. The system contains 14 stub termini and 10 loop termini, while 4 routes (4 at Brussels-North, 7 at Vanderkindere, 25 at Boondael and 55 at Bordet ) terminate on central tracks between continuing lines. Over

3120-466: The original seven remain. To negotiate a sharp turn, the old route T18 (closed 1 July 2007) had to make a 270-degree turn on its journey away from the city centre, looping round and crossing its own path. Under the Brussels-South railway station , the premetro and metro tracks swap from running on the right to running on the left where they run parallel to provide cross-platform interchange between

3185-477: The platform is high, and is connected to the street (at least in the upward direction) by escalator. At some stations lifts have been installed, but there is a cutout section taking the level down to one foot above ground to board the trams. The three steps this entails make life difficult for passengers with baby buggies or suitcases, even though the new low-floor trams are accessible to wheel-chair users. To get around this last barrier to mobility, an experimental ramp

3250-482: The platforms within the roundabout, those boarding or alighting use four separate stops on the Avenue Winston Churchill / Winston Churchilllaan in pairs on either side of the junction, thus avoiding having to cross into the middle of the roundabout. This situation will end when the city's central tram subway is converted in heavy metro line 3, whenceforth lines 3, 4 and 7 will all terminate at Albert. In

3315-411: The production cost of the tram network. The costs chiefly comprised drivers' wages (60%) and additional vehicles (25%), and excluded overheads and the cost of time lost by passengers. In an attempt to remedy this, by 2016, Brussels Mobility had installed traffic light priority for trams or buses at 150 junctions. In some other places, the track layout is used to avoid hold-ups; for instance on route 92 at

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3380-471: The proposal, but the municipality of Ixelles was against, supported by traders on the Chaussée d'Ixelles / Elsensesteenweg who feared the disruption the tracklaying would cause. The proposal was dropped and instead the section from the Chaussée de Wavre/Waversesteenweg to the Place Fernand Coq / Fernand Coqplein has been made largely car-free . Other outline proposals have been made to extend

3445-460: The start of a series of 172 cars. Over the years, many series of single-ended versions (7500 and 7700 series, 128 car) and double-ended versions (7900 series, 61 cars) followed. Eventually, the PCC car entirely replaced motor car and trailer combinations. The development of the premetro , a tram-unfriendly policy and a constant shortage of funds led to a deterioration of the Brussels tram system well into

3510-457: The tracks could not easily be taken over when the lines were progressively closed from the 1960s onwards. The complementary routing of vicinal and urban tracks and the replacement of key lines by metro has led to some peculiar track layouts, for instance at the Barrière de Saint-Gilles / Bareel Sint-Gillis . Though all seven roads at this circular junction originally had tram lines, only three of

3575-589: The tram systems in Ghent and Antwerp (including the Pre-metro ), operated previously by local companies MIVG and MIVA respectively, and the coastal tramway. TEC operates the Charleroi light rail system , which includes sections of Vicinal track. STIB/MIVB operates the 1,435 mm ( 4 ft  8 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ) standard gauge Brussels Metro , tram , and bus network. Belgian coast tram The Coast Tram ( Dutch : Kusttram )

3640-507: The trams of much of their business. The electric network reached a peak of 1,528 kilometres (949 mi) in 1950. The whole network (electric and non-electric) was still approximately 4,236 kilometres (2,632 mi) in length (the peak of 4,811 kilometres (2,989 mi) was in 1945), but by 1960 had been reduced to only 977 kilometres (607 mi). On several rural lines, passenger tramways were replaced by buses but SNCV/NMVB kept running freight trams until it wasn't profitable anymore. In 1977,

3705-532: The two lines. This serves no apparent purpose, but may be because main line trains in Belgium run on the left. Trams cross back to the right under the Place Bara / Baraplein , but the metro stays on the left as far as the Roi Baudouin/Koning Boudewijn terminus. A 2007 paper calculated that delays caused by traffic congestion were responsible for direct costs of €17.34 million per year - over 18% of

3770-475: The years, loops have gradually been replaced by stub termini when opportunities have presented themselves. In 2007, a loop was built on the Place Poelaert / Poelaertplein , to accommodate short-running 94 trams, which had the peculiarity that the through line bifurcated it. It was lifted after only a few months. The 51 terminus at Van Haelen was originally planned as a loop, but was eventually built, in 2008, as

3835-612: Was concluded between the State and the Province of Brabant to continue the operation of the Brussels trams. A provisional management committee was set up, which functioned until the foundation, on 1 January 1954, of the Brussels Intercommunal Transport Company (STIB/MIVB). Great efforts were made to catch up on overdue maintenance and 787 motor trams were modernised to the Brussels standard type. The electro-pneumatic brake

3900-399: Was installed in 2009 at Parvis de Saint-Gilles / Sint-Gillis Voorplein . Coupled sets are not currently used, although since around 2015, tests have been made of pairs of PCCs connected by a towbar. All vehicles still carry a towbar, which is only used nowadays when a broken-down tram needs to be towed or pushed to the depot. Brussels trams have known several liveries. In the beginning of

3965-531: Was introduced in these cars and the conductor and driver (called Wattman in Belgium) had permanent seats. Growing traffic congestion led to plans to build reserved tracks for trams, and in the city centre to put them in tunnel. In 1957, the first tunnel was opened near the congested Place de la Constitution / Grondwetplein , between Brussels-South railway station and Lemonnier . From 1969, trams were adapted to run in tunnel, using block signalling. In addition to

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4030-432: Was introduced. Ridership has been rising, and user-friendly features that have grown up through custom and practice help this. For instance, passengers open the doors by pressing a green strip on the central pole (in PCC trams) or an illuminated button (on Flexity trams), and drivers usually make a point of waiting for latecomers. However, overcrowding in peak hours and at weekends is common. The rate of detected fare-dodging

4095-617: Was the creation of line 25 in April 2007. Line 25 goes from Rogier to the Boondael/Boondaal railway station following the route of the former line 90 from Rogier to Buyl, then leaves the outer ring towards the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB)'s campus of Solbosch . On 14 March 2011, old lines 23 and 24 were merged to create the new eastern semicircular premetro line 7, which runs almost entirely in its own right of way from Heysel/Heizel in

4160-810: Was the creation of the nationwide operator named "National Company of Light Railways", known as Nationale Maatschappij van Buurtspoorwegen (NMVB) in Dutch and Société Nationale des Chemins de fer Vicinaux (SNCV) in French . The majority of lines were 1,000 mm ( 3 ft  3 + 3 ⁄ 8  in ) metre gauge , although until 1921 many in the Antwerp metropolitan area were 1,067 mm ( 3 ft 6 in ) gauge, later re-gauged . Many lines were built alongside roads, and carried considerable quantities of freight (especially timber and agricultural produce) as well as passengers. World War I and World War II saw greatly increased traffic despite some wartime damage. The non-electric network reached

4225-509: Was used for military purposes. On 1 January 1928, the TB and CFE networks merged, leaving only the TB and the vicinal/buurtspoor network in operation. The CFE was known for its 'chocolate bars' so named because of their dark brown livery (several examples can still be admired in the Brussels Tram Museum ). The CFE personnel also wore brown uniforms. In 1928, the CFE lines were renumbered within

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