- HSL 1
The HSL 1 is a Belgian
high speed rail line which connectsBrussels with the French border. 88 km long (71 km dedicated high-speed tracks, 17 km modernised lines), it began service on14 December 1997 .The line has appreciably shortened rail journeys, the journey from
Paris toBrussels now taking 1:22. In combination with theLGV Nord , it has also impacted international journeys toFrance andLondon , ensuring high-speed through-running byEurostar ,TGV ,Thalys PBA andThalys PBKA trainsets.The total construction cost was €1.42 billion.
Route
Trains leave
Brussels-South station via a new viaduct completed in 2006 to separate high-speed services from local services. [http://www.eurostar.com/UK/be/leisure/about_eurostar/press_release/press_archive_2006/01_12_2006_viaduct_brussels.jsp] From there they parallel the traditional lines. 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 enters its own cut-and-cover section before crossing theBrussels-Charleroi Canal ; at km 17 the high speed line proper begins at theLembeek Viaduct, supporting 300 km/h speeds.Between
Rebecq andEnghien the line parallels the A8 autoroute, separated by a security fence. At Enghien the line parallels the regular Brussels-Tournai line for approximately 10 km.The maintenance depot "Le Coucou" is located near
Ath . This station served as the operations base during the construction of the line (from1993 to1998 ) and currently serves as the maintenance depot for HSL 1. Slightly further on is the 2005 m long Arbre Viaduct (one of the longest rail viaducts in Europe) between Ath andChièvres ; it passes over the Ath-Blaton canal, the Dender River, theMons road and the Ath-Jurbise railway.At
Antoing there is a connector to the Mons-Tournai line, used by the Thalys between Paris and Namur. After passing over the 483m Scheldt River Viaduct, and through the 365mBruyelle cut-and-cover section, the line crosses the Belgian-French border atWannehain , km 88. 11 km further on, the Frétin triangle splits theLGV Nord towards Paris or Lille.The French cabin signaling system TVM-430 has been installed on the HSL 1.
ee also
*
High-speed rail
*TGV
*Eurostar
*HSL 2
*LGV Nord External links
* [http://www.belrail.be/F/tgv/ligne1.html Belgian high-speed rail site (in French)]
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