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 The (), typically shortened to LGV Nord, is a French -long high-speed rail line, opened in 1993, that connects Paris to the Belgium–France border, Belgian border and the Channel Tunnel via Lille. With a maximum speed of , the line appreciably ...

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

, 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 The TGV (; , , 'high-speed train') is France's intercity high-speed rail service. With commercial operating speeds of up to on the newer lines, the TGV was conceived at the same period as other technological projects such as the Ariane 1 rocke ...

Thalys PBA Thalys (French: ) was a brand name used for high-speed train services between Paris Gare du Nord and both Amsterdam Centraal and German cities in the Rhein-Ruhr, including Aachen, Cologne, Düsseldorf, Duisburg, Essen and Dortmund, both via ...

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 The Brussels–Charleroi Canal (; ), also known as the Charleroi Canal amongst other similar names, is an important canal in Belgium. The canal is quite large, with a Class IV Freycinet gauge, and its Walloon portion is long. It runs from Ch ...

; 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 (; ) 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 Population density (in agric ...

and

Enghien Enghien (; ; ; ) 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 density of 295 inhabitants per km2. ...

, 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 Ath (; , ; ; ) 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, Irchonwelz, Isières ...

. 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 co ...

(one of the longest rail viaducts in Europe) between Ath and

Chièvres Chièvres (; ) 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 150 inhabitan ...

; 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 Jurbise (; ; ) 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 inhabitants per km². The ...

railway. At

Antoing Antoing (; ) is a city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia located in the Hainaut (province), province of Hainaut, Belgium. The municipality consists of the following districts: Antoing, Bruyelle, Calonne, Wallonia, Calonne, ...

, 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 The Scheldt ( ; ; ) 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 Old English ("shallow" ...

Viaduct, and through the

Bruyelle Bruyelle () 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 that the village w ...

cut-and-cover section, the line crosses the Belgian-French border at

Wannehain Wannehain is a commune in the Nord department in northern France, on the border with Belgium. The HSL 1 railway line to Brussels crosses the border at Wannehain. Heraldry Population See also *Communes of the Nord department The follow ...

, km 88. further on, the Frétin triangle splits the

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