De Lijn

The public transport company De Lijn ( ausgespr. de lein ) is a Belgian regional passenger transport companies. It operates an extensive bus network, as well as several trams in the Flemish provinces of Belgium.

Sometimes it is meant ( by the transport company " De Lijn " operated ) Kusttram with De Lijn. This tram line connects the villages on the Flemish North Sea coast and is the longest tram line in the world.

De Lijn emerged in the Belgian regionalization in 1991 from the hitherto operating nationwide, state Vicinal or NMVB ( these are the same company, abbreviated in the local language ), which was next to the SNCB 's largest provider of passenger transport in Belgium. At the same time came for the Walloon Region, the company Transport en Commun, abbreviated TEC. De Lijn took over in the Flemish parts of the country the transport network, the employees and also the car park of the predecessor company. Also went to the transport operations of the cities of Antwerp and Ghent in De Lijn.

The most important operating part is by far the bus operation, which includes both city and highway driving as well as links between major towns on medium distance ( as a supplement to the rail network ). From the formerly extensive narrow-gauge railway and tram network of the predecessor company at the creation of De Lijn most of them were no longer in operation.

As a rail-bound transport De Lijn operates today:

  • Trams and light rail in Antwerp
  • The tram in Ghent
  • The Kusttram, a tram line connecting the places on the Flemish North Sea coast

Furthermore, De Lijn also operate in the city of Ghent from 1989 to 2009 the trolleybus Ghent, he was the ever last trolleybus operation in Belgium.

The fleet consisted of 2007, about 360 trams and 2,250 buses, including the 18 trolleybuses in Ghent. In 2003, De Lijn carried out of a population in the service area of about 6.5 million inhabitants, approximately 362 million passengers in 2007 it had increased to 483.2 million.

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