Belgian railway line 25

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Belgian railway line 25
3 kV DC
Route map

km
0.0
Brussels-North
Namur
Line 50
to Ghent
2.4
Schaarbeek
Halle
7.3
Buda
00.0
09.4
Vilvoorde
13.6
Eppegem
15.9
Weerde
20.4
Mechelen
00.0
26.5
Sint-Katelijne-Waver
Nete River
28.9
Duffel
to Lier
00.0
33.8
Kontich
36.2
Hove
38.1
Mortsel-Oude-God
39.7
Mortsel-Deurnesteenweg
to Lier
42.8
Antwerpen-Berchem
43.8
Antwerpen-Centraal
47.6
Antwerpen-Luchtbal
Rotterdam

The Belgian railway line 25 is the oldest

railway line in Belgium. It connects Belgium's two main cities: Brussels and Antwerp. The section between Brussels and Mechelen was completed in on 5 May 1835 and was the first railway in Belgium and the first public passenger steam railway on the European continent. 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 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:

L25N

A recent addition is line 25N, which branches off south of Mechelen to follow the

Brussels National 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
  • [1] Local language network overview