The HSL 1 (, ) is a

high-speed rail High-speed rail (HSR) is a type of rail transport network utilising trains that run significantly faster than those of traditional rail, using an integrated system of specialised rolling stock and dedicated railway track, tracks. While there is ...

line which connects Brussels, Belgium, with the LGV Nord 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, 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 in Western Europe, connecting Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. The service is operated by the Eurostar Group which was formed from the merger of Eurostar, ...

, TGV, Thalys PBA and

Thalys PBKA PBKA is a High-speed rail, high-speed trainset, manufactured by the French company Alstom, GEC-Alsthom, and used on the international Eurostar service. Originally built for Thalys (which later merged with Eurostar) they were intended to operate ...

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), officially the Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL), is a high-speed railway linking London with the Channel Tunnel. It is part of the line carrying international passenger traffic between the United Kingdom and mainland Euro ...

in the UK.

Route

Trains leave Brussels-South 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 enter their own cut-and-cover section before crossing the Brussels–Charleroi Canal; at km 17, the high-speed line proper diverges from the mainline at the Lembeek Viaduct, supporting speeds. Between Rebecq and Enghien, the line parallels the A8 motorway, separated by a security fence. At Enghien, the line parallels the regular Brussels–

Tournai Tournai ( , ; ; ; , sometimes Anglicisation (linguistics), anglicised in older sources as "Tournay") is a city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia located in the Hainaut Province, Province of Hainaut, Belgium. It lies by ...

line for approximately . The maintenance depot "Le Coucou" is located near Ath. 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 (one of the longest rail viaducts in Europe) between Ath and Chièvres; it passes over the Ath–Blaton canal, the Dender River, the

Mons Mons commonly refers to: * Mons, Belgium, a city in Belgium * Mons pubis (mons Venus or mons veneris), in mammalian anatomy, the adipose tissue lying above the pubic bone * Mons (planetary nomenclature), a sizable extraterrestrial mountain * Batt ...

road and the Ath– Jurbise railway. At Antoing, there is a connector to the Mons–

line, used by the Thalys between Paris and

Namur Namur (; ; ) is a city and municipality in Wallonia, Belgium. It is the capital both of the province of Namur and of Wallonia, hosting the Parliament of Wallonia, the Government of Wallonia and its administration. Namur stands at the confl ...

. After passing over the Scheldt River Viaduct, and through the Bruyelle cut-and-cover section, the line crosses the Belgian-French border at Wannehain, km 88. further on, the Frétin triangle splits the LGV Nord towards Paris or Lille.

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 Railway lines in Brussels Railway lines in Flanders Railway lines in Wallonia

Route

See also

Notes

External links