Tram route 1 is a tram route in
Antwerp
Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504, (
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
) connecting the Bolivarplaats in the
Zuid neighborhood with the Havana site in the
Luchtbal neighborhood to the North via the
Leien and Noorderlaan.
Trajectory
Bolivarplaats-Amerikalei-Britselei-Frankrijklei-Italiëlei-Noorderplaats-Kempenstraat-Noorderlaan-Havana site.
Historical route (1902-1965)
Tram route 1 has already existed in the past from September 2, 1902 until July 14, 1965, running on a comparable North-South trajectory as the current line, between the
Antwerpen-Zuid passenger railway station and
Antwerpen-Dokken en -Stapelplaatsen cargo station. In 1902, it was the first electrified tram route in Antwerp, and consequently it received the number 1. During the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, service on the route continued, although only until 8 o'clock. During the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
it became soon impossible to operate the line, due to damage inflicted on it. However, service could later slowly be resumed, and in 1944 the line was again fully operational. The line was eventually replaced a bus line in 1965, when the tram tracks at Antwerpen-Zuid station, as well as the old station itself, had to make place for the
Kennedytunnel under the river
Scheldt
The Scheldt (french: Escaut ; nl, Schelde ) is a river that flows through northern France, western Belgium, and the southwestern part of Netherlands, the Netherlands, with its mouth at the North Sea. Its name is derived from an adjective corr ...
. Today, bus lines 1 and 13 have incorporated the previous itinerary of tram route 1 in their trajectory. Also, the southern half of the Leien is still serviced by tram routes
12 and
24.
New route (2019-)
As a part of the Brabo II and Noorderlijn plans, the new tram route 1 was officially opened on 8 December 2019, following the Bolivarplaats-Havana site trajectory. The creation of the tram route formed a part of the Noorderlijn ('northern line') construction works, which included the building of new tram tracks in the northern half of the Leien, as well as in the Noorderlaan further north and in the connecting streets.
Colour
Historically, tram route 1 was identified by a black number on a white background. The new tram route uses a white number on a purple background.
References
{{Reflist
External links
www.delijn.be the operator of all public city transport in Antwerp and Flanders.
Tram transport in Belgium
1