Tram route 4 is an above ground
tram
A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport ...
route in the city of
Antwerp,
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 ...
. The route runs between the Kioskplaats in the suburb of
Hoboken
Hoboken ( ; Unami: ') is a city in Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 60,417. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 58,690 ...
in the South, and the Silsburg cemetery on the
Deurne/
Wommelgem
Wommelgem () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality only comprises the town of Wommelgem proper. In 2021, Wommelgem had a total population of 12,991. The total area is 13.01 km².
Economy
Wommelgem i ...
border in the East. The present day itinerary is the result of the merger of the trajectory from the historic
route 8 and that from the original route 4 in 2012.
History
Route 4 is one of the oldest tram routes in the city of Antwerp. It was originally built as a part of a
vicinal tramway
The National Company of Light Railways ( nl, Nationale Maatschappij Van Buurtspoorwegen, abbreviated as NMVB; french: Société Nationale des Chemins de fer Vicinaux, abbreviated as SNCV) was a state-owned transportation provider which comprised ...
to
Schelle :''Schelle is also the German name for Šaľa, Slovakia.''
Schelle () is a municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as ...
and
Boom, but was eventually shortened to the itinerary Groenplaats-
Hoboken
Hoboken ( ; Unami: ') is a city in Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 60,417. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 58,690 ...
after the opening of
railway line 52 In 1936, it was merged with
route 3 into an itinerary
Merksem
Merksem (; former spelling: ''Merxem'') is a district of the municipality and city of Antwerp in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It has 44,808 inhabitants as of 2021.
History
The history of Merksem goes back to Gallo-Roman times. During that peri ...
-Central station-Groenplaats-South Station-Hoboken, because too many tram routes had their terminus at the Groenplaats at the time, leading to a chaotic situation. After the end of 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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, the route again became a separate line. In 1993, it was extended from the Groenplaats to the Sint-Pietersvliet to the North.
Due to construction works in the Nationalestraat, the route was shortened to the Hoboken-Marnixplaats trajectory on May 2, 2012. After a redrawing of the network map, route 4 was merged with tram route 8 on February 9, 2013, running between Hoboken to the South and Silsburg to the East. At first, the tram tracks on the Leien were used to connect the two trajectories, but after the reopening of the Nationalestraat on March 30, service via the Nationalestraat and Groenplaats was resumed. On December 6, 2014, the new tram tracks in the Brusselstraat were taken into service, and route 4 now drives between Hoboken and the Nationalestraat via the Bolivarplaats, instead of the Geuzenstraat.
Colour
Route 4 is usually identified by a black number 4 on a light blue background.
Statistics
With a length af 14.55 km and 40 stops, route 4 is currently both the longest tram route, and that with most stops, in
Antwerp.
References
{{Reflist
External links
www.delijn.be the operator of public transport in
Flanders
Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to cultu ...
.
Tram routes in Antwerp
Tram transport in Belgium