Vlaamse Vervoersmaatschappij De Lijn (English: Flemish transport company ''De Lijn''), usually known as De Lijn (, "The Line"), is a company run by the

Flemish government The Flemish Government ( nl, Vlaamse regering ) is the executive branch of the Flemish Community and the Flemish Region of Belgium. It consists of a government cabinet, headed by the Minister-President and accountable to the Flemish Parliament, ...

in Belgium to provide

public transportation Public transport (also known as public transportation, public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) is a system of transport for passengers by group travel systems available for use by the general public unlike private transport, typical ...

with about 2240 buses and 399 trams. De Lijn was founded in 1991 after the public transportation companies of Antwerp and

Ghent Ghent ( nl, Gent ; french: Gand ; traditional English: Gaunt) is a city and a municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the East Flanders province, and the third largest in the country, exceeded i ...

fused with the Flemish part of the NMVB (Nationale Maatschappij van Buurtspoorwegen, or the "National Company of Neighborhood Railways").

Socialist Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the ...

politician Steve Stevaert of Hasselt implemented a policy allowing registered residents in

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to cultu ...

aged 65+ to ride anywhere in

free. This has since been changed into allowing 65+ inhabitants to purchase cheap year passes which are valid throughout de Lijn. For around 52 euros, senior citizens can now travel freely as often as they wish. Other incentives exist for people under age 25. De Lijn is being viewed as an integral part to reduce heavily congested traffic, together with the

NMBS french: Société nationale des chemins de fer belgesgerman: Nationale Gesellschaft der Belgischen Eisenbahnen , type = Statutory corporation , industry = Rail Transport , foundation = 1926 , founder = Government o ...

(Belgium's national rail operator). In 2016, it transported more than 518.8 million passengers in an area with a population of approximately 6.5 million. De Lijn operates: * Antwerp Tramway, with both street running and underground light rail (

Antwerp Pre-metro The Antwerp Premetro is a network consisting of lines 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10 and 15 of the Antwerp Tram system. It is a metre gauge system which runs underground in the city centre and further out on surface lines, which are mostly separated ...

). *

Ghent Tram The Ghent tramway network ( nl, de Gentse tram) is a network of tramways forming part of the public transport system in Ghent, a city in the Flemish Region of Belgium, with a total of three lines (1, 2 and 4). Since 1991, the network has been ope ...

way, mostly street running with some reserved track. * Coast tram, an

interurban The Interurban (or radial railway in Europe and Canada) is a type of electric railway, with streetcar-like electric self-propelled rail cars which run within and between cities or towns. They were very prevalent in North America between 1900 ...

line along the whole Belgian coast, between De Panne and

Knokke Knokke () is a town in the municipality of Knokke-Heist, which is located in the province of West Flanders in Flanders, Belgium. The town itself has 15,708 inhabitants (2007), while the municipality of Knokke-Heist has 33,818 inhabitants (2009). ...

. * All urban, suburban and intercity buses in

. Because of the dense rail network, intercity buses serve as local transport between big cities and smaller communities. Time to travel from one city to another by bus is most often longer than for the same journey on the train because bus lines are less straight, as they pass through many small towns that are not served by railway. The buses are more city-style (no coach buses are used). In the Limburg province with few railways, buses are the main mode of intercity travel. There are also express intercity buses there. The fares are the same on all modes. De Lijn issues a smartcard called the Lijnkaart and a chain of shops called Lijnwinkel. De Lijn also supports the Flemish Tram and Bus Museum, located in Antwerp and connected to the tracks of the Antwerp Tramway.

References

External links

Official website (in Dutch)
{{Transport in Belgium Public transport operators Companies based in Antwerp Province Public transport in Belgium Mechelen 1991 establishments in Belgium Transport companies established in 1991 Government-owned companies of Belgium

See also

References

External links