Vicinal tramway
The Société nationale des chemins de fer Vicinaux ( SNCV, French) or National Maatschappij van Buurtspoorwegen ( NMVB, Dutch) or National Small Railroad Company ( NKG) was a state-owned company, the narrow-gauge railways, trams and bus lines operating in Belgium.
History
Start time
The Vicinal was established in 1884. She had the task of the regions of Belgium to open up public transport that were not reached by the state railway. In 1885 they opened the first route between Ostend and Nieuport. This route is still considered part of the coast tram in operation. The rail lines were built as narrow gauge lines with 1000 mm track gauge and were mostly single track in the lateral position of existing roads. Initially, these were powered by steam locomotives, from 1894, the first lines were electrified. In 1910, the track length of the entire network was already 3786 km. The absolute high point was reached in 1925 with 5200 km length of the route.
Decline of rail transport
With the competition of the bus, the decline of rail transport began. Even the outdated rolling stock and with the rise of car traffic increasingly unfavorable situation of many routes accelerated the closures. The route length decreased over 4250 km in 1950 to 978 km in 1960. Following closure of the network north of Brussels in 1978 remained only the line on the North Sea coast, as well as a network around the industrial city of Charleroi.
In 1977, the national bus lines, which were previously operated by the state railway SNCB, passed to the SNCV.
Splitting and end
In 1991, the Vicinal along the border of the two regions of Flanders and Wallonia was divided. In Flanders, the new transport company De Lijn was born. This took over the coastal tram and bus lines in Flanders of the Vicinal, and also the previously urban tramway networks in Antwerp and Ghent. In Wallonia, the transport company TEC emerged. This operates since the Metro in Charleroi and the Walloon bus routes. The third region of Belgium, the bilingual Brussels-Capital Region, has since then - mitbedient both the Flemish De Lijn, as well as by the Walloon TEC - except by the STIB / STIB, the own traffic operating in the region.
Electrified networks
With the electrification of the main routes several, partially interconnected tram networks emerged. These were operated independently of the urban trams ( in Brussels, Antwerp, Ghent, Charleroi, Liege and Verviers ). These networks were shut down gradually after the Second World War:
- Lions: 1962
- Eupen: 1957
- Antwerp: 1968
- Province of Limburg: 1958
- Ghent: 1959
- Liege: 1961
- Kortrijk: 1963
- Namur: 1963
- Mons: 1973
- Brussels: 1978
So today remain as remnants of the former Vicinal network only:
- The route along the North Sea coast between Knokke and De Panne.
- The routes that went up in the Metro Charleroi. The majority of the Metro network consists of starting from 1976 built new lines. As the only original Vicinal route is passenger only a 3 km long stretch in Anderlues, a western suburb of Charleroi, operated.
Museological heritage
Various museums in Belgium have the Vicinal railway vehicles, including the Transport Museum in Liege Liege. Also be operated as a museum railway route Lobbes - Thuin west of Charleroi with trams and the route Érezée - Dochamps in the Ardennes with diesel vehicles. The also originally belonging to the network of Vicinal tram Han is also operated to open up the cave of Han sur-Lesse in the tourist transport.