I know it's OT, but suspect some here will be interested in news of the
Belgian coast tram, De Kusttram.

The longest tramway in the world at 67km - and yes it's a real tram,
steel rails, overhead power - celebrated its 125th birthday last
weekend.

We did the whole length both ways north from Ooostende to Knokke and
back, then south to De Panne /Andinkerke.

If you think that some our privatised operator names are a mouthful,
with the addition of F.. or A... take note of this organisation: the
Vlaamse Vervoermaatchappij - De Lijn. Needless to say, it's just known
as de tram.

Stock is generally not ultra-modern, but a few years back was updated
with the installation of a low-floor centre car, and I think there are
some new low-floor cars, although we didn't see one.

The most interesting thing about the stock, though, is that it has only
one driving position, so at the termini - and some intermediate stops,
the track loops round in a circle rather than changing ends.

Track is simple, two rails on sleepers, and the OHLE looks robust
[think N Sea gales] but basic in its engineering.

The route is interesting. It provides the main transport link between
Ostend and the other coastal towns - Blankenberge [seaside], Zeebrugge
and our personal favourite, Knokke. [If you saw our pix from last
Sunday you would think you were on the French riviera - beach cafes,
sunbeds, the lot. And much nearer than Cannes!]

For much of the route the tramway is behind the dunes, and of course
there has been an explosion of apartment-building all along the coast.
We joked that maybe my former colleagues and neighbours in Brussels had
forgotten to tell me they had all been evacuated!

Southbound there's more view of the beach as the tram goes through
Westende, Nieuwpoort and on to De Panne and the kids' favourite,
Plopsaland [if you don't know, don't go there...]

Anyway, enough of this OT rambling, really shouldn't take up bandwidth
like this.

But it did remind me of a certain bit of blonde foolishness here in
London - cancelling the Greenwich transit! Come on, Boris - we need it.

--
Writer / editor on London's River

Couldn't agree more. A real hidden secret.

Shame that the Ramsgate ferry doesn't carry foot passengers. But maybe
now they have been taken over by L Dreyfus that will change.

And with the new high speed trains to Kent, it would make a great
weekend or overnight mini-cruise.

Why don't they copy Brittany Ferries, out of season sailings from
Portsmouth are packed with mini-cruisers and weekenders who spend £££
in the bars and restaurants on board and at their destination ports.

Don't forget, folks, that you CAN'T buy a E* ticket to Brussels. It's a
ticket to any station in Belgium. So you can play "let's pretend we're
on the riviera" for trip to Knokke, or just head to Ooostende and
stroll along the beach with the sand in your toes.

Not forgetting the healthy Belgian lunch - beer/frites mayo/beer!
Seriously... Oostende has some of the best fish and seafood you can
find anywhere.



On 2010-04-25 09:05:24 +0100, Paul Corfield said:

On Sun, 25 Apr 2010 08:47:14 +0100, Bearded wrote:

I know it's OT, but suspect some here will be interested in news of the
Belgian coast tram, De Kusttram.

The longest tramway in the world at 67km - and yes it's a real tram,
steel rails, overhead power - celebrated its 125th birthday last
weekend.

We did the whole length both ways north from Ooostende to Knokke and
back, then south to De Panne /Andinkerke.
[snip]
The route is interesting. It provides the main transport link between
Ostend and the other coastal towns - Blankenberge [seaside], Zeebrugge
and our personal favourite, Knokke. [If you saw our pix from last
Sunday you would think you were on the French riviera - beach cafes,
sunbeds, the lot. And much nearer than Cannes!]

Oh it's a lovely line and Oostende and the seaside to the south is
smashing on a fine sunny day. A real hidden secret for many Brits - I
once had to convince someone in the office to try a weekend visit. They
were very reluctant but full of thanks and surprise when they got back!

It used to be easy to do it in a day when what is now South Eastern ran
trains from Victoria to Dover and there was a Jetfoil that whizzed
across the channel to Oostende. Very cheap with a good timetable - you
easily do a day trip to Brugges in Summer with daylight the whole way.


--
Writer / editor on London's River

On 25/04/2010 08:47, Bearded wrote:
I know it's OT, but suspect some here will be interested in news of the
Belgian coast tram, De Kusttram.

The longest tramway in the world at 67km - and yes it's a real tram,
steel rails, overhead power - celebrated its 125th birthday last weekend.

We did the whole length both ways north from Ooostende to Knokke and
back, then south to De Panne /Andinkerke.

If you think that some our privatised operator names are a mouthful,
with the addition of F.. or A... take note of this organisation: the
Vlaamse Vervoermaatchappij - De Lijn. Needless to say, it's just known
as de tram.

Stock is generally not ultra-modern, but a few years back was updated
with the installation of a low-floor centre car, and I think there are
some new low-floor cars, although we didn't see one.

The most interesting thing about the stock, though, is that it has only
one driving position, so at the termini - and some intermediate stops,
the track loops round in a circle rather than changing ends.

Track is simple, two rails on sleepers, and the OHLE looks robust [think
N Sea gales] but basic in its engineering.

The route is interesting. It provides the main transport link between
Ostend and the other coastal towns - Blankenberge [seaside], Zeebrugge
and our personal favourite, Knokke. [If you saw our pix from last Sunday
you would think you were on the French riviera - beach cafes, sunbeds,
the lot. And much nearer than Cannes!]

For much of the route the tramway is behind the dunes, and of course
there has been an explosion of apartment-building all along the coast.
We joked that maybe my former colleagues and neighbours in Brussels had
forgotten to tell me they had all been evacuated!

Southbound there's more view of the beach as the tram goes through
Westende, Nieuwpoort and on to De Panne and the kids' favourite,
Plopsaland [if you don't know, don't go there...]

Anyway, enough of this OT rambling, really shouldn't take up bandwidth
like this.

But it did remind me of a certain bit of blonde foolishness here in
London - cancelling the Greenwich transit! Come on, Boris - we need it.

Many thanks for that.

I hear that Ghent is also very beautiful.

On 25/04/2010 08:47, Bearded wrote:
I know it's OT, but suspect some here will be interested in news of the
Belgian coast tram, De Kusttram.

The longest tramway in the world at 67km - and yes it's a real tram,
steel rails, overhead power - celebrated its 125th birthday last weekend.

We did the whole length both ways north from Ooostende to Knokke and
back, then south to De Panne /Andinkerke.

If you think that some our privatised operator names are a mouthful,
with the addition of F.. or A... take note of this organisation: the
Vlaamse Vervoermaatchappij - De Lijn. Needless to say, it's just known
as de tram.

Stock is generally not ultra-modern, but a few years back was updated
with the installation of a low-floor centre car, and I think there are
some new low-floor cars, although we didn't see one.

The most interesting thing about the stock, though, is that it has only
one driving position, so at the termini - and some intermediate stops,
the track loops round in a circle rather than changing ends.

Track is simple, two rails on sleepers, and the OHLE looks robust [think
N Sea gales] but basic in its engineering.

The route is interesting. It provides the main transport link between
Ostend and the other coastal towns - Blankenberge [seaside], Zeebrugge
and our personal favourite, Knokke. [If you saw our pix from last Sunday
you would think you were on the French riviera - beach cafes, sunbeds,
the lot. And much nearer than Cannes!]

For much of the route the tramway is behind the dunes, and of course
there has been an explosion of apartment-building all along the coast.
We joked that maybe my former colleagues and neighbours in Brussels had
forgotten to tell me they had all been evacuated!

Southbound there's more view of the beach as the tram goes through
Westende, Nieuwpoort and on to De Panne and the kids' favourite,
Plopsaland [if you don't know, don't go there...]

Anyway, enough of this OT rambling, really shouldn't take up bandwidth
like this.

But it did remind me of a certain bit of blonde foolishness here in
London - cancelling the Greenwich transit! Come on, Boris - we need it.

Manx Electric Railway is also a great ride, particularly between Laxey
and Ramsey.

On 25/04/2010 15:27, Ian Jelf wrote:
In message , Paul Corfield
writes
On Sun, 25 Apr 2010 10:33:03 +0100, "
wrote:

[snip]

I hear that Ghent is also very beautiful.

Well there is much of Belgium that is worth a look. Ghent, Oostende,
Brugges, the coast, Antwerp, Brussels. Even a crazy ride on the trams
at Charleroi were worth doing if only to see the sparse conurbation at
Anderlues and to discover the Lobbes - Thuin museum line. This was
back in the 80s and I know things have changed somewhat in and around
Charleroi.

The South of the country, much less visited by Britons is also often a
surprise.

I used to work quite a bit in Liege and the Ardennes and some of it
really is delightful. (Especially the drive up the Meuse from Liege
towards Dinand and beyond to places like Bastogne.)


The ride from Brussels to Luxembourg City via train is also very pretty.

On Sun, 25 Apr 2010 08:47:14 +0100, Bearded wrote:

I know it's OT, but suspect some here will be interested in news of the
Belgian coast tram, De Kusttram.

[...]

We did the whole length both ways north from Ooostende to Knokke and
back, then south to De Panne /Andinkerke.

[...]

Stock is generally not ultra-modern, but a few years back was updated
with the installation of a low-floor centre car, and I think there are
some new low-floor cars, although we didn't see one.

I think they reinforce the fleet (during Summer months, I suppose)
with some low-floor trams from Ghent.

The most interesting thing about the stock, though, is that it has only
one driving position, so at the termini - and some intermediate stops,
the track loops round in a circle rather than changing ends.

Like many trams... I hesitate to say most, let's say that "original"
tramways are quite likely to have turning loops and the more recent or
light-rail style ones aren't.

[interesting stuff...]

But it did remind me of a certain bit of blonde foolishness here in
London - cancelling the Greenwich transit! Come on, Boris - we need it.

Be careful before you wish for the Belgian way! The Kusttram, as
impressive as it undoubtedly is, is just what's left of an *enormous*
inter-urban tram network. I think the second-to-last bit to close was
a section in Charleroi, which brings me to their scandalous splurge of
billions of BEFs in the eighties that left them with a half-arsed
light rail system that has a few branches that were built - completely
- and never used.

The central loop is being completed now (as is some more of Antwerp's
pre-metro) but the unfortunate consequence of wanting a metro, a sort
of reverse NIMBY, has been taking the trams off the streets, where
other cities have found them to be a sort of civilising influence, and
put them underground into a not very high frequency system that shuts
down early. Brussels' traffic and urban environment also suffered,
IMHO, in the drive to put the trams underground, but not as much.
Antwerp was improved by it, maybe as it was done most recently and
seems to have been implemented with more thought and probably money.

As others have said, Belgium is a fascinating, often pretty, always
curious and usually friendly place even before you consider the
advantages of fantastic food and beer. We should all go there as
often as possible!

Richard.