The HSL 1 (french: Ligne à Grande Vitesse (LGV) 1, nl, Hogesnelheidslijn 1, en, High-Speed Line 1) is a
high-speed rail
High-speed rail (HSR) is a type of rail system that runs significantly faster than traditional rail, using an integrated system of specialised rolling stock and dedicated tracks. While there is no single standard that applies worldwide, lines ...
line which connects Brussels, Belgium, with the
LGV Nord
The Ligne à Grande Vitesse Nord (North High-Speed Line), typically shortened to LGV Nord, is a French -long high-speed rail line, opened in 1993, that connects Paris to the Belgian border and the Channel Tunnel via Lille.
With a maximum speed ...
at the Belgium–France border. It is long with of dedicated high-speed tracks and of modernised lines. Service began on 14 December 1997.
The line has appreciably shortened journey times, the journey from Paris to Brussels now taking 1 hour 22 minutes. In combination with the
LGV Nord
The Ligne à Grande Vitesse Nord (North High-Speed Line), typically shortened to LGV Nord, is a French -long high-speed rail line, opened in 1993, that connects Paris to the Belgian border and the Channel Tunnel via Lille.
With a maximum speed ...
, it has also impacted international journeys to other cities in France and to London, ensuring high-speed through-running by
Eurostar
Eurostar is an international high-speed rail service connecting the United Kingdom with France, Belgium and the Netherlands. Most Eurostar trains travel through the Channel Tunnel between the United Kingdom and France, owned and operated sep ...
,
TGV
The TGV (french: Train à Grande Vitesse, "high-speed train"; previously french: TurboTrain à Grande Vitesse, label=none) is France's intercity high-speed rail service, operated by SNCF. SNCF worked on a high-speed rail network from 1966 to 19 ...
,
Thalys PBA
Thalys (French: ) is a French-Belgian high-speed train operator originally built around the LGV Nord high-speed line between Paris and Brussels. This track is shared with Eurostar trains that go from Paris, Brussels or Amsterdam to London via Li ...
and
Thalys PBKA
The Thalys PBKA is a TGV variant ordered and operated by Thalys between its namesake cities Paris, Brussels, Cologne (german: Köln) and Amsterdam, forming the abbreviation PBKA. The sets have eight carriages and are long, weighing a total of 3 ...
trainsets.
The total construction cost was €1.42 billion. The signalling system installed is the
TVM-430 in-cab signalling system, the same as LGV Nord in France, and
High Speed 1
High Speed 1 (HS1), legally the Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL), is a high-speed railway linking London with the Channel Tunnel.
It is part of a line carrying international passenger traffic between the United Kingdom and mainland Europe; ...
in the UK.
Route
Trains leave
Brussels-Midi station via a new viaduct completed in 2006 to separate high-speed services from local services.
From there they use the conventional
line 96. At
Forest/Vorst the train passes the depot where inspections of Thalys and Eurostar trains may be carried out. At
Halle (
km 13) the HST tracks split from the mainline and enters its own cut-and-cover section before crossing the
Brussels–Charleroi Canal
The Brussels–Charleroi Canal, also known as the Charleroi Canal amongst other similar names, (french: canal Bruxelles-Charleroi, nl, kanaal Brussel-Charleroi) is an important canal in Belgium. The canal is quite large, with a Class IV Freyc ...
; at km 17 the high-speed line proper diverges from the mainline at the
Lembeek
Lembeek is a village with a population of 7,256 in the municipality of Halle, Belgium.
Location
South-west of Halle, it is close to the language border between the Flemish Region and Wallonia. The Castle of Lembeek was demolished by request of ...
Viaduct, supporting speeds.
Between
Rebecq
Rebecq (; wa, Ribek) is a municipality of Wallonia located in the Belgian province of Walloon Brabant. On 1 January 2006 the municipality had 10,241 inhabitants. The total area is 39.08 km2, giving a population density of 262 inhabitants per ...
and
Enghien
Enghien (; nl, Edingen ; pcd, Inguî; vls, Enge) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium.
On 1January 2006, Enghien had a total population of 11,980. The total area is , which gives a population dens ...
the line parallels the A8 autoroute, separated by a security fence. At Enghien the line parallels the regular Brussels–
Tournai
Tournai or Tournay ( ; ; nl, Doornik ; pcd, Tornai; wa, Tornè ; la, Tornacum) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. It lies southwest of Brussels on the river Scheldt. Tournai is part of Euromet ...
line for approximately .
The maintenance depot "Le Coucou" is located near
Ath
Ath (; nl, Aat, ; pcd, Ât; wa, Ate) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium.
The municipality consists of the following districts: Arbre, Ath, Bouvignies, Ghislenghien, Gibecq, Houtaing, ...
. This station served as the operations base during the construction of the line (from 1993 to 1998) and currently serves as the maintenance depot for HSL 1. Slightly further on is the long
Arbre Viaduct
Arbre may refer to:
* Arbre, Ath, a commune in Ath, Belgium
* , a village in Profondeville, Belgium
* Arbre, a planet in ''Anathem'' by Neal Stephenson
See also
* ' or liberty trees, a symbol of the French Revolution
* Arbre du Ténéré, once con ...
(one of the longest rail viaducts in Europe) between Ath and
Chièvres
Chièvres (; pcd, Chieve) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium.
On January 1, 2018, Chièvres had a total population of 6,899. The total area is 46.91 km² which gives a population density of 15 ...
; it passes over the Ath–Blaton canal, the
Dender River, the
Mons
Mons (; German and nl, Bergen, ; Walloon and pcd, Mont) is a city and municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the province of Hainaut, Belgium.
Mons was made into a fortified city by Count Baldwin IV of Hainaut in the 12th century. T ...
road and the Ath–
Jurbise
Jurbise (; nl, Jurbeke; pcd, Djurbize) is a municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium.
On 1 January 2006 the municipality had 9,571 inhabitants. The total area is 57.86 km², giving a population density of 165 in ...
railway.
At
Antoing
Antoing (; pcd, Antweon) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium.
The municipality consists of the following districts: Antoing, Bruyelle, Calonne, Fontenoy, Maubray, and Péronnes-lez-Antoing.
Hi ...
there is a connector to the Mons–
Tournai
Tournai or Tournay ( ; ; nl, Doornik ; pcd, Tornai; wa, Tornè ; la, Tornacum) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. It lies southwest of Brussels on the river Scheldt. Tournai is part of Euromet ...
line, used by the Thalys between Paris and
Namur
Namur (; ; nl, Namen ; wa, Nameur) is a city and municipality in Wallonia, Belgium. It is both the capital of the province of Namur and of Wallonia, hosting the Parliament of Wallonia, the Government of Wallonia and its administration.
Namu ...
. After passing over the
Scheldt River
The Scheldt (french: Escaut ; nl, Schelde ) is a river that flows through northern France, western Belgium, and the southwestern part of the Netherlands, with its mouth at the North Sea. Its name is derived from an adjective corresponding to ...
Viaduct, and through the
Bruyelle
Bruyelle ( pcd, Briyèle) is a village of Wallonia and a district of the municipality of Antoing, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium.
A settlement has existed here since Roman times. Remnants of destroyed buildings may be testimony tha ...
cut-and-cover section, the line crosses the Belgian-French border at
Wannehain
Wannehain is a Communes of France, commune in the Nord (French department), Nord Departments of France, department in northern France, on the border with Belgium.
The HSL 1 railway line to Brussels crosses the border at Wannehain.
Heraldry
Popu ...
, km 88. further on, the
Frétin triangle splits the
LGV Nord
The Ligne à Grande Vitesse Nord (North High-Speed Line), typically shortened to LGV Nord, is a French -long high-speed rail line, opened in 1993, that connects Paris to the Belgian border and the Channel Tunnel via Lille.
With a maximum speed ...
towards Paris or Lille.
See also
*
High-speed rail in Belgium
Belgium's high-speed rail network provides mostly international connections from Brussels to France, Germany and The Netherlands. The high-speed network began with the opening of the HSL 1 to France in 1997, and since then high-speed lines hav ...
Notes
External links
Belgian high-speed rail site (in French)
{{coord missing, Belgium
TGV
Eurostar
High-speed railway lines in Belgium
Railway lines opened in 1997
Standard gauge railways in Belgium