Métro Léger De Charleroi
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The Métro Léger de Charleroi (, abbreviated as MLC) is a
light rail Light rail (or light rail transit, abbreviated to LRT) is a form of passenger urban rail transit that uses rolling stock derived from tram technology National Conference of the Transportation Research Board while also having some features from ...
network in
Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
. The system consists of a loop line around central
Charleroi Charleroi (, , ; ) is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. It is the largest city in both Hainaut and Wallonia. The city is situated in the valley of the Sambre, in the south-west of Belgium, not ...
and three branches towards the suburbs of
Gilly Gilly is a municipality in the district of Nyon in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland. History Gilly is first mentioned in 1179 as ''de Iusliaco''. In 1278 it was mentioned as ''Gillie''. Geography Gilly has an area, , of . Of this area, or ...
,
Anderlues Anderlues (; ; ) is a municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. On 1 January 2006 Anderlues had a total population of 11,578. The total area is which gives a population density Population density (in agriculture: ...
and
Gosselies Gosselies (; ) is a town of Wallonia and a district of the municipality of Charleroi, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowl ...
. Another branch to Châtelet (historically, the third one) was partially built, never entered service, but will finally do so in 2027. The original plan was much more extensive with eight branches radiating from the central loop, by gradually upgrading the existing
tram A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which Rolling stock, vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some ...
network with
grade separated In civil engineering (more specifically highway engineering), grade separation is a method of aligning a junction of two or more surface transport axes at different heights ( grades) so that they will not disrupt the traffic flow on other tr ...
sections. Full completion had to be abandoned due to high costs and low prospective ridership rates. As a result, a significant part of the network consists of tram infrastructure and is operated with high-floor trams. The system functions partly as a tram and partly as a
metro Metro may refer to: Geography * Metro City (Indonesia), a city in Indonesia * A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center Public transport * Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urban area with high ...
and therefore can be characterised as
semi-metro The term semi-metro refers to a category of urban rail transport in which trams run partly on grade separation, separate tracks to avoid conflicts with other traffic, by using tunnels and elevated railway, viaducts. This type of transit is also ...
. The system was opened in seven phases ranging from 1976 to 2012, which included 30 stops, of which 22 were stations along with two regular tram stops in Charleroi (the loop) and six in
Anderlues Anderlues (; ; ) is a municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. On 1 January 2006 Anderlues had a total population of 11,578. The total area is which gives a population density Population density (in agriculture: ...
. On 22 June 2013, 18 more tram stops were added to the network when line M3 to Gosselies went into service. Despite not meeting full metro standards, it is locally also referred to as the ''Métro Carolo'' or simply ''Le Métro'' in French.


Operations

, the network consists in a central loop running around the centre of
Charleroi Charleroi (, , ; ) is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. It is the largest city in both Hainaut and Wallonia. The city is situated in the valley of the Sambre, in the south-west of Belgium, not ...
and comprising six stations and two tram stops, from which three branches radiate to suburbs: * A branch with ten stations and six tram stops runs west to
Anderlues Anderlues (; ; ) is a municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. On 1 January 2006 Anderlues had a total population of 11,578. The total area is which gives a population density Population density (in agriculture: ...
. This branch runs on the street as a normal tram after Pétria station, following a line of the old vicinal network. * A branch with six stations runs northeast to
Gilly Gilly is a municipality in the district of Nyon in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland. History Gilly is first mentioned in 1179 as ''de Iusliaco''. In 1278 it was mentioned as ''Gillie''. Geography Gilly has an area, , of . Of this area, or ...
. * A branch with 18 tram stops runs north to
Gosselies Gosselies (; ) is a town of Wallonia and a district of the municipality of Charleroi, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowl ...
. In addition, another branch is currently inactive: * A branch running east towards Châtelet was built during the 1980s. A first section comprising four stations was completed but never entered service, while further sections are in various stages of completion. The network allows transfers to the national railway network at the main Charleroi-Central railway station as well as at the secondary Charleroi-Ouest station.


Lines

The completion and opening of the central loop in 2012 led to a significant reorganization of the
metro Metro may refer to: Geography * Metro City (Indonesia), a city in Indonesia * A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center Public transport * Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urban area with high ...
/
tram A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which Rolling stock, vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some ...
lines previously operating on the system. The five former lines – 54, 55, 84, 88, and 89 – that operated on the network were replaced on 27 February 2012 by three new lines ( M1, M2 and M4); a fourth line ( M3) went into service on 22 June 2013. The system is run by TEC Charleroi, a subsidiary of the Walloon public transport operator (
Société Régionale Wallonne du Transport Groupe Lactalis S.A. (doing business as Lactalis) is a French multinational dairy products corporation, owned by the Besnier family and based in Laval, Mayenne, France. The company's former name was Besnier S.A. Lactalis is the largest dairy pr ...
). Intervals between trains depend on the period (weekdays/weekends, holidays, etc.). The standard interval is 30 minutes for lines M1 and M2, ensuring a 15 minutes interval on the Charleroi – Anderlues section. This interval becomes 60 minutes (30 minutes on the common section) on weekends and holidays, and during the July–August period. On line M4, the standard interval is 10 minutes (15 minutes on Sundays and public holidays); similarly, line M3 also runs with 10-minute intervals. From 2012 on, all trams have been equipped with orange colored LED destination indicators, displaying the line number and final station. Prior to that, mechanical destination indicators were used, using various layouts. The most common display showed two distinctly colored rectangles indicating the most important stations of the line, with the line number displayed on a white square between both rectangles. Rectangle color used the following code: *Pale yellow : used on lines originating/terminating in Anderlues. *Bright yellow : used on lines originating/terminating at
Gilly Gilly is a municipality in the district of Nyon in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland. History Gilly is first mentioned in 1179 as ''de Iusliaco''. In 1278 it was mentioned as ''Gillie''. Geography Gilly has an area, , of . Of this area, or ...
. *Dark blue : used on lines originating/terminating at
Sud Sud or SUD may refer to: Places * Sud (Chamber of Deputies of Luxembourg constituency), a constituency in Luxembourg * Sud (department), an administrative subdivision of Haiti * Sud Department (Ivory Coast), defunct administrative subdivision of ...
. *Dark green : used on lines originating/terminating at Parc. Beside this system, it happened that trams only displayed the terminus station as one of ''Charleroi-Sud'' (dark blue background) or ''Parc'' (green), without line number. Line 84 used a completely different display with black characters on a completely white background and line number on the right. Trams run on the right track, except on the Soleilmont branch and the out-of-service Châtelet branch. Some short street-running sections in Anderlues and in Gosselies are single track. Theoretical maximum speed on the network is , but actual speed is generally lower, especially on curves. Speed limits are displayed on panels along the track and can take one of the following values : , , , , , and . An onboard system warns the driver in case of overspeed, and will stop the tram abruptly in absence of reaction. A similar system will stop the tram immediately in the event of a red signal being ignored. Rail switches are controlled directly by tram drivers using a remote control unit sending a signal to a receiver along the track.


Stations

, the Charleroi network comprises 48 stations (24 metro stations and 24 tram stops) served by four lines. There are also 3 unused stations on the unfinished Châtelet branch (see below). Station entrances are marked with a stylized white "M" on a blue background, identical to the symbol used by the
Brussels metro The Brussels Metro ( ; ) is a rapid transit system serving a large part of the Brussels-Capital Region of Belgium. It consists of four conventional metro lines and three '' premetro'' lines. The metro-grade lines are M1, M2, M5, and M6 wi ...
. Access to the platforms is unrestricted (no gates/barriers) and most stations are not staffed. Some stations are equipped with automatic ticket vending machines; otherwise tickets are sold by machines inside the trams (tickets used to be sold directly by the tram drivers until 2012).


Rolling stock


Passenger cars

Charleroi's LRV cars are bi-directional
articulated tram Trams have been used since the 19th century, and since then, there have been various uses and designs for trams around the world. This article covers the many design types, most notably the articulated, double-decker, drop-centre, low-floor, ...
s which were supplied by
La Brugeoise et Nivelles La Brugeoise et Nivelles, later BN Constructions Ferroviaires et Métalliques, was a Belgian manufacturer of railway locomotives and other rolling stock; it was formed by a merger of two companies: La Brugeoise et Nicaise et Delcuve and Les Ate ...
(BN) (with ACEC providing the motors and the electrical/electronic components) from 1980 to 1982. They are similar to the trams operated on the Belgian coast tram line (although those have doors on only one side) and, to a lesser extent, to the first generation trains of the
Manila Light Rail Transit System The Manila Light Rail Transit System, commonly known as the LRT, is an urban rail transit system that primarily serves Metro Manila, Philippines. Although categorized as a light rail system because it originally used light rail vehicles, it pre ...
yellow line. According to an official statement by TEC Charleroi, 44 of these trams are operational, the future network with the completed downtown loop and the Gilly branch extension requiring 22, then 35 when the Gosselies branch opens. Each unit has a length of and a width of , and is capable of carrying 44 seated and 148
standing passenger In urban public transport, provision is made for standing passengers, often called straphangers or standees, to rationalize operation and to provide extra capacity during rush hour. On crowded rapid transit urban lines, while most travelers may ...
s (6 pax/m2), totalling 192 passengers.An origina
SNCV brochure
mentions 98 standing pax at 4 pax/m2, however indications inside trams mention a total capacity of 192, which equates to (192 total – 44 seats = 148 standing pax).
It is powered by two electric engines providing a total power of . Their maximum speed is . They can theoretically be coupled to form trains of up to three trams, however the single tram configuration is the preferred one on the Charleroi network, with only a few peak hour services on line M4 being operated by 2 trams coupled together. Most trams carry the distinctive bright yellow, red and grey livery of TEC Charleroi and are identified by a 4 digit number starting with 74. Six trams (7404, 7426, 7428, 7448, 7453 and 7454) wear a temporary special livery to celebrate the new lines created on 27 February 2012. Prior to that date, several trams were still wearing the old
SNCV The National Company of Light Railways (, abbreviated as NMVB; , 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, incl ...
livery with an orange bottom and beige top separated by a blue line (with a 4-digit fleet number starting with 61).


Work cars

* Type S – SNCV Hainaut – work car * Type SJ – SNCV Hainaut – passenger cars – acquired 1984 * Esslingen/Schorling tram – track scrubber – acquired 1981


History

The Charleroi metro was planned in the 1960s as a network, consisting of eight branch lines radiating from a central downtown loop and no less than 69 stations. If completed as planned, this would have been the largest metro system in the
Benelux The Benelux Union (; ; ; ) or Benelux is a politico-economic union, alliance and formal international intergovernmental cooperation of three neighbouring states in Western Europe: Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. The name is a portma ...
region. In the 1960s, Charleroi already had an extensive tramway network, operated by both
SNCV The National Company of Light Railways (, abbreviated as NMVB; , 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, incl ...
and STIC, but trams were starting to be replaced by buses as those were supposedly more flexible, were cheaper to operate and were perceived as more modern. The metro network was meant to offer trams a second life by providing a fast and comfortable mass transit system, while removing them from the street. Full completion of the initial project was envisioned between 1992 and 1994. As a general rule, plans called for tracks to be at ground level, on dedicated infrastructure (separated from the street). If not possible, priority was given to viaducts, and tunnels were considered as the last option, except in Charleroi downtown or in densely populated areas. The first section opened on 21 June 1976, between
Sud Sud or SUD may refer to: Places * Sud (Chamber of Deputies of Luxembourg constituency), a constituency in Luxembourg * Sud (department), an administrative subdivision of Haiti * Sud Department (Ivory Coast), defunct administrative subdivision of ...
and Villette (which was the first metro station in Belgium to be built on a viaduct). These were served by what would eventually become line 89 of the original light metro system. Piges and
Ouest Ouest (French for west) may refer to: *Ouest (department), Haiti *Ouest Department (Ivory Coast), defunct administrative subdivision of Ivory Coast * Ouest Province, Cameroon * Ouest Province, Rwanda *Ouest-France, a French newspaper *West France ( ...
were opened 4 years later, on 30 June 1980. Each time a new section was inaugurated, trams would transit through it before going back to the street for the remainder of their journey. Stations
Palais Palais () may refer to: * Dance hall, popularly a ''palais de danse'', in the 1950s and 1960s in the UK * ''Palais'', French for palace **Grand Palais, the Grand Palais des Champs-Elysées **Petit Palais, an art museum in Paris * Palais River in t ...
,
Dampremy Dampremy () is a town of Wallonia and district of the municipality of Charleroi, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. It was a municipality of its own before the fusion of the Belgian municipalities The fusion of the Belgian municipa ...
, and the section between Morgnies and Paradis were opened on 24 May 1983. Pétria followed on 24 May 1986. The same year, works were completed on a first section of the Châtelet branch (until ''Centenaire'' station), however this branch has never been put into service. The remaining stations on the
Anderlues Anderlues (; ; ) is a municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. On 1 January 2006 Anderlues had a total population of 11,578. The total area is which gives a population density Population density (in agriculture: ...
branch (
Providence Providence often refers to: * Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion * Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in some religions * Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...
, De Cartier, Moulin and Fontaine) were opened on 22 August 1992. One week later, on 28 August, a first section of the
Gilly Gilly is a municipality in the district of Nyon in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland. History Gilly is first mentioned in 1179 as ''de Iusliaco''. In 1278 it was mentioned as ''Gillie''. Geography Gilly has an area, , of . Of this area, or ...
branch (from the downtown loop until
Gilly Gilly is a municipality in the district of Nyon in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland. History Gilly is first mentioned in 1179 as ''de Iusliaco''. In 1278 it was mentioned as ''Gillie''. Geography Gilly has an area, , of . Of this area, or ...
) was inaugurated, along with the
Waterloo Waterloo most commonly refers to: * Battle of Waterloo, 1815 battle where Napoleon's French army was defeated by Anglo-allied and Prussian forces * Waterloo, Belgium Waterloo may also refer to: Other places Australia * Waterloo, New South Wale ...
station on the downtown loop. At the time, infrastructure beyond Gilly to Soleilmont was in various stages of completion, but not in service. 54 was created to serve the new branch. On 30 August 1996, two additional stations were opened on the downtown loop (
Janson Janson is the name given to a set of old-style serif typefaces from the Dutch Baroque period, and modern revivals from the twentieth century. Janson is a crisp, relatively high-contrast serif design, most popular for body text. Janson is based ...
and Parc). Lines 55 and 88 were created to duplicate the two existing lines while using the northern part of the unfinished loop. 2008 and 2009 saw the resumption of metro construction, following a 75 million euro loan from the
European Investment Bank The European Investment Bank (EIB) is the European Union's investment bank and is owned by the 27 member states. It is the largest multilateral financial institution in the world. The EIB finances and invests both through equity and debt sol ...
, out of a total estimated cost of 150 million euro. Work to complete the downtown loop started on 20 October 2008, building of the
Gosselies Gosselies (; ) is a town of Wallonia and a district of the municipality of Charleroi, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowl ...
branch on 16 March 2009, and the lengthening works on the Gilly branch toward Soleilmont started on 30 March 2009. The finished downtown loop was put in service on 27 February 2012 with the completion of the
Sud Sud or SUD may refer to: Places * Sud (Chamber of Deputies of Luxembourg constituency), a constituency in Luxembourg * Sud (department), an administrative subdivision of Haiti * Sud Department (Ivory Coast), defunct administrative subdivision of ...
to Parc section. The same day saw the opening of the Soleilmont extension of the Gilly branch. The completion of the downtown loop involved a comprehensive reorganization of the lines and the introduction of new numbers (M1, M2 and M4) and colors, and the inauguration of the now "Charleroi Metro". The Gosselies branch (Line M3) project created a new branch starting at Piges station and running as a regular tramway line toward
Gosselies Gosselies (; ) is a town of Wallonia and a district of the municipality of Charleroi, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowl ...
. A large section of the line already existed to the
Jumet Jumet () is a town of Wallonia and a district of the municipality of Charleroi, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. It was a municipality of its own before the merger of the municipalities in 1977. Church of Saint-Sulpice, Jumet is ...
tram depot, but as it is only used by empty trams going to and from the depot, and was not equipped for commercial passenger transport, it had to be completely rebuilt. The Jumet to Gosselies section is new, although it is built on the site of former
SNCV The National Company of Light Railways (, abbreviated as NMVB; , 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, incl ...
tramway lines. The project included full renovation of the ''Chaussée de Bruxelles'' (Brussels Road) which is used by the new line. Because of the narrowness of some streets in Gosselies, the line uses single track in different streets for each direction. The Gosselies branch was scheduled for completion in 2011, however multiple obstacles had delayed its opening. The fourth line of the Charleroi Metro thus entered service on 22 June 2013. This northern branch is served by a new line, dubbed "M3" (yellow color), which is how it is now depicted on official maps and on station signage.


Expansion plans


Châtelet line: Line M5 branch

The original metro project envisioned an eastern branch from
Waterloo Waterloo most commonly refers to: * Battle of Waterloo, 1815 battle where Napoleon's French army was defeated by Anglo-allied and Prussian forces * Waterloo, Belgium Waterloo may also refer to: Other places Australia * Waterloo, New South Wale ...
station (then ''Nord'') to Châtelet, comprising eight stations. Construction of this branch began in the 1980s and resulted in a first section in various stages of completion. The Waterloo to Centenaire part has been finished, but was never put into service. As a result, the finished Neuville, Chet, Pensée and Centenaire stations remained closed and were vandalized. Sometime in the 2010s, the station building of Centenaire was demolished. The track until Chet (now ''Yernaux'') was used for driver training, so rails and catenary were maintained. Occasionally, special journeys were organised to the station Centenaire on the colloquially named "Métro Fantôme" (ghost metro), including in March 2017. Only structural work was completed on the Centenaire to Roctiau part, with no tracks installed. The rest of the branch has never been built. In 2011 preliminary estimates gave a cost of 5 million euros to refresh the Waterloo-Centenaire section, and another 20 million to complete the line to Corbeau (serving a nearby popular shopping mall). In early 2021, TEC Charleroi announced that the Châtelet branch may be finally completed, and the existing part of the branch renewed, using the funds from the Charleroi's €250 million share of the Walloon Recovery Plan. If given go-ahead, the line may be opened by 2026. The funding has been confirmed on 23 June 2021, the project will benefit from €60 million to be used to revitalise the line between Waterloo and Pensée, the last complete station on the line, and to extend it to Viviers to provide connection to the new hospital under construction and due to open in 2024. In January 2023 the building permit for the track, eight stations, and a service building was granted, construction work started November 2024 and the opening is planned for 2027.


Tram renewal

Le Tec in Charleroi on 21 June 2022 presents its first tram with a new look. This renewal operation will involve 12 vehicles per year until 2026. This investment has a total amount of 22 million euros to renew the entire fleet, 500,000 euros per tram. It was assigned to
Alstom Alstom SA () is a French multinational rolling stock manufacturer which operates worldwide in rail transport markets. It is active in the fields of passenger transportation, signaling, and locomotives, producing high-speed, suburban, regional ...
, which is in charge of most of the work and is subcontracting certain aspects, in collaboration with Entra, an adapted work company based in
Fleurus Fleurus (; ) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. It has been the site of four major battles. The municipality consists of the following districts: Brye, Heppignies, Fleurus, Lambusart, Saint-Am ...
.


Network map


See also

*
List of Charleroi Metro stations The following is the list of the 49 stations (25 premetro stations, and 24 tram stops) of the Charleroi Metro in Belgium, and includes all stations in the Charleroi area network, as well as tram stops that are also served by premetro lines. It ...
* List of Charleroi Metro former lines *
Vicinal tramway The National Company of Light Railways (, abbreviated as NMVB; , 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, incl ...
*
Transport in Belgium Transport in Belgium is facilitated with well-developed road, air, rail and water networks. The rail network has of electrified tracks. There are of roads, among which there are of motorways, of main roads and of other paved roads. There is ...
*
List of rapid transit systems These lists of urban rail transit systems are sorted by the type of system: * List of tram and light rail transit systems * List of town tramway systems * Medium-capacity rail system * List of premetro systems * List of metro systems * List o ...
*
Brussels Metro The Brussels Metro ( ; ) is a rapid transit system serving a large part of the Brussels-Capital Region of Belgium. It consists of four conventional metro lines and three '' premetro'' lines. The metro-grade lines are M1, M2, M5, and M6 wi ...


Notes


References


External links


TEC – official website

Photos from a 2003 trip along the Châtelet branch

Tram Travels: Transport En Commun en Wallonie (TEC)

Site of the Walloon regional archives. Inside the tram. Photographs from 1995
{{DEFAULTSORT:Charleroi Metro Metre-gauge railways in Belgium