The HSL 4 (, ) is a
Belgian high-speed rail line part of the axis which connects
Antwerp
Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...
to the
Dutch border. It is ; of it being dedicated high speed tracks. It was scheduled for completion by 2005 and opened in 2009.
Together with the
HSL 1 to the French border and
HSL-Zuid to
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...
, the line has shortened journeys between
Brussels
Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...
,
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
and the
Netherlands
, Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
. HSL 4 is used by
Thalys,
Eurostar e320, and
Intercity Direct, as well as (on weekdays only) by local and peak hour trains terminating at
Noorderkempen railway station. It was formerly used by fast
internal InterCity trains (
Class 13 locomotives with
I11 vehicles) and by
Fyra, both of which were replaced by the Intercity Direct services.
Route
The high-speed HSL 4 begins just north of Antwerp (near Luchtbal), and runs where it meets the Dutch border.
From Brussels to Antwerp
Though HSL4 begins in Antwerp, it is part of a Paris-Brussels-Amsterdam corridor. High speed trains like Thalys, upon departing Brussels for Amsterdam, first use the existing, conventional track, electrified at 3 kV DC.
From
Brussels South station, trains travel northwards through the
Brussels-Central and
Brussels-North stations. At
Schaarbeek the line splits in two; the eastern branch continues to
Liège
Liège ( ; ; ; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the Liège Province, province of Liège, Belgium. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east o ...
and the
German border, the northern branch towards
Antwerp
Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...
and the
Dutch border. Between
Brussels
Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...
and
Antwerp
Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...
(), trains travel at on
line 25N and then the upgraded existing
line 25 (with the exception of a few segments where a speed limit of is imposed).
From Antwerp north
In Antwerp, a
tunnel has been constructed underneath the city to permit high-speed trains to run directly through
Antwerpen-Centraal to the new high-speed line north, an extension of line 25 until
Antwerpen-Luchtbal railway station, after which line 4 (HSL 4) starts. Trains enter the long, two-tube tunnel past
Berchem at . They exit the tunnel at , it seems due to stability and infiltration concerns.
The line surfaces at Antwerpen-Dam as line 25, and after crossing the
Albert Canal,
crosses the existing
Antwerp-Essen line at . At the E19/A12 motorway junction, trains
leave the regular line to run on new dedicated high-speed tracks to the Dutch border ( away) at up to . The route parallels the E19 motorway until the border, which has required the building of several bridges.
The line passes through
Schoten,
Brasschaat,
Brecht,
Wuustwezel, and
Hoogstraten, before crossing the border into the
Netherlands
, Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
and connecting to the Dutch
HSL-Zuid.
Stations
Antwerpen-Centraal station has been completely reorganised. A tunnel has been constructed to permit the passage of trains under the city, additionally creating a subterranean junction between
Antwerpen-Berchem and , passing through Antwerpen-Centraal. With these works completed, the station has four levels and 14 tracks:
*level +1 (the original station) has 6 terminating tracks, arranged as two groups of three (line 59/1 to Ghent and line 12 to the depot, workshop and cleaning station in Antwerp-Schijnpoort) separated by an opening allowing natural light to reach the lower levels
*level 0 contains ticketing facilities and commercial space
*level −1 (7 meters below road level) has 4 terminating tracks, also arranged as two groups (line 27 to Brussels, for services terminating in Antwerp).
*level −2 (18 meters below road level) has 4 tracks, which end up in the two-track-wide tunnel under the city (used by high-speed, InterCity and local passenger trains between the North and South of Antwerp — freight trains go around the East of Antwerp on line 27A to the harbour)
The HSL 4 is the only high-speed line in Belgium that features an intermediate station at
Noorderkempen (municipality
Brecht, Belgium) for use in regular speed passenger service.
Tunnel Peerdsbos ('Solar Tunnel')
The line features a 'Solar Tunnel' near Antwerp. The above-ground tunnel Peerdsbos is comparable to an
avalanche gallery except instead of snow it protects the trains from falling trees and the highway traffic on the E19. It was constructed as an alternative to felling parts of the nearby forest. The 'tunnel' is unique as it is covered with 16,000 solar panels. The line's operator claim this provides 3300 MWh of electricity per year and cuts emissions by 2400 tonnes a year.
Europe’s first “green” train leaves the station thanks to Belgium’s Solar Tunnel
June 6, 2011
See also
* High-speed rail in Belgium
External links
Belgian high-speed rail site
References
{{Eurostar navbox
High-speed railway lines in Belgium
Railway lines opened in 2009
Standard-gauge railways in Belgium
Railway lines in Flanders
Rail transport in Antwerp
25 kV AC railway electrification