Line 26: Schaerbeek - Halle

Belgian Railway Line 26

Schaerbeek - Halle

The Belgian railway line 26 is a railway line in Belgium connecting Brussels to Halle. It opened on 19 July 1926 between Schaerbeek and Watermael railway stations. The line was completed on 3 January 1930. It was built to bypass Brussels before the 1952 North–South connection existed.

Today, all passenger trains using the line travel from Vilvoorde on a branch line called 26/1 and not from Schaerbeek, to various destinations south of Brussels. The line carries (parts of) several services of the GEN/RER: S4, S5, S7, S9. Some of these use the Schuman-Josaphat tunnel, which branches off just south of Meiser station.

The line serves the following stations:

• Schaerbeek/Schaarbeek
• Haren
• Bordet
• Evere
• Schaerbeek-Josaphat
• Meiser
• Merode
• Etterbeek-Cinquantenaire
• Delta
• Boondael/Bondaal
• Vivier d'Oie/Diesdelle
• Saint-Job/Sint-Job
• Moensberg
• Beersel
• Huizingen
• Halle

Schaarbeek-Josaphat is no longer an operational station, it was a freight yard very near the present Evere railway station. Etterbeek-Cinquantenaire was also a freight station, now closed and (mostly) filled in.

Belgian Railway Line 26 Overview

Line 26 Status: Operational
Locale: Belgium
Line 26 Termini:
Schaerbeek railway station
Halle railway station
Line 26 Operator(s): National Railway Company of Belgium
Line 26 Opened: 1926-1930
Line 26 Line Length: 28 km (17 mi)
Line 26 Number of Tracks: double track
Line 26 Track Gauge: 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Line 26 Electrification: 3 kV DC

Belgian Railway Line 26 Route Map

            Line from Brussels-North
0.0       Schaarbeek
            Line to Leuven
            Line to Antwerp
            from Vilvoorde
            Line Brussels–Leuven
4.0      Haren
4.7      Bordet
6.1      Evere
8.6      Meiser
9.9      Merode
11.2    Delta
            Line Brussels–Namur
14.7    Boondael
15.3    Vivier d'Oie
16.2    Saint-Job
            Line Brussels–Charleroi
19.7    Moensberg
21.4    Beersel
24.6    Huizingen
            Line from Brussels
28.6    Halle
            Line to Mons