Diabolo project
The Diabelo project aims to improve access to the airport Brussels -Zaventem on the rail from the north and the discharge of the railway line Brussels - Antwerp had the goal. The activities undertaken in the form of a public-private partnership measures were taken June 10, 2012 in full operation.
- 3.1 daily
- 3.2 weekdays
- 3.3 weekend
Prehistory
In 1955 the Brussels airport for the first time a train ride through a short branch line of the railway line Brussels - Liège from - lions. Forty years later, today's underground station was taken with three tracks in operation. Since 2005 it is also possible from the Leuven train station ( lion ) to change trains to travel to the airport, using a connection curve at Nossegem was created. Antwerp, the most populous city in Belgium was still only be reached via a detour through the Brussels North Station, the trip took about an hour, and among other things this situation has been identified that residents of Antwerp only contributed to 10% of market share of the airport.
Realization
Financing
In September 2007, the public- private partnership contract between the project partners Northern Diabolo consisting of HSH Nordbank and Babcock & Brown, and Infrabel, the Belgian rail network operator, has been signed. The consortium THV DIALINK from CEI - De Meyer ( BAM), MBG, Wayss & Freytag, VINCI Construction Grands Projets and Smet Tunnelling resulted from the construction. Northern Diabolo funded the northern connection and the tunnel itself, Infrabel the newly built railway line 25N which runs on the median strip of the highway 1/E19 between Mechelen and Machelen. The total cost amounted to 540 million euros, of which 250 million Infrabel had to bear itself. Northern Diabolo will cover its costs over a period of 35 years from a supplement that everyone traveling by train has to be paid to and from the airport each way, the so-called Diabolo surcharge of 4.40 € ( April 2013 ) per trip. In addition, the company receives Infrabel an annual inflation adjusted payment of 9 million euros ( 2007). The third financing component is 0.5 % of domestic ticket receipts will be paid by the railway companies.
Project Overview
The former head station below the terminal has been transformed by two bored tunnel tubes, each 1.1 km length in a through station. In addition, the client had the existing platforms by 100 meters to 425 meters longer. Another tunnel leads under the cargo area Brucargo the airport, after which the route applies to the newly built route 25N in the field of highway interchange Vilvoorde.
The second component of the project is funded by Infrabel even new line ( line 25N ) from Mechelen Railway Station to Station Schaerbeek / Schaerbeek, which mostly runs down the middle of the A1/E19. This was, until then, an unused boondoggle represents the route 25N branches south from the train station Mechelen from the existing route Brussels - Antwerp and follow this A1/E19 to its end at the outer ring road of Brussels. Shortly before, are the branch points Machelen -Noord and Zuid - Machelen, enable both rides from the airport to Mechelen and after Schaerbeek / Schaerbeek ( and in each case vice versa). In the track ahead of the train station of Schaerbeek / Schaerbeek the existing line is finally reached again. The new line allows speeds of up to 220 km / h and is equipped with the automatic train control systems TBL1 and ETCS Level 1.
With the opening of routes on 10 June 2012, the travel time from Mechelen to the airport has reduced from 40 to eight minutes halved from Antwerp about.
Operation
The following features use since 10 June 2012, the newly-built railway line 25N on the southern, northern or the general section:
Daily
Weekdays
On the weekend
View
The aim is to increase by 2015 the proportion of intercourse arrival by train to the airport to 40%. Another component of this is the construction of the Schuman - Josaphat tunnel through which the airport will be reach from the European quarter in less than a quarter of an hour.