Trams in Ghent


The Ghent tramway network is a network of tramways forming part of the public transport system in Ghent, a city in the Flemish Region of Belgium, with a total of four lines. Since 1991, the network has been operated by De Lijn, the public transport entity responsible for buses and trams in Flanders.
The network is being operated with HermeLijn trams and Bombardier Flexity 2 trams.

General description

The network covers approximately
. The track gauge is and trams are powered by 600 V DC overhead wires. The network uses dedicated rights of way as well as mixed traffic; the right of way on Groot-Britanniëlaan is shared with buses.
The system used to have one short tunnel, around long, passing underneath Sint-Pieters railway station. The Sint-Pieters Station tram stop was located inside the tunnel. It was opened on June 28, 1996.
The system has no triangles and only a single turnback loop. Therefore, all rolling stock must be bidirectional, with cabs at each end. There are also two non-switch 90-degree crossings, on the crossing of Zonnestraat with Veldstraat as well on the crossing of Zonnestraat with Korte Meer.
On streets where tram tracks are located away from the sidewalk, i.e. in the middle of the roadway, stops are located on islands with pedestrian overpasses leading to them. This improves pedestrian safety.

History

Overview

Horse-drawn trams appeared in Ghent in 1874. The rolling stock consisted of 43 carriages, 14 of them open and the other 29 closed, with 100 horses used to draw them. The horse-drawn trams were operated by Les Tramways de la Ville de Gand, which existed until 1897.
On August 13 of 1897 operating concessions were issued to the Société Anonyme des Railways Économiques de Liège-Seraing et Extensions and the Compagnie Générale des Railways à voie étroite . These companies merged on January 4, 1898 to form the SA des Tramways Electriques de Gand. The aim of this move was to replace horses by electric traction, as well as the further usage of the tram network. It was also decided to use battery-powered trams, since they did not require unsightly overhead lines.
The power of battery operated trams was. Each tram carried 45 passengers. The maximum speed of each was ; by law, the operator was not allowed to travel any faster. A special generating station was built to charge the batteries of these trams.
However, battery traction was operationally unsuccessful, so in 1903 a decision was made to install overhead electrification. The first trams powered by overhead lines entered service in 1904. This date marks the birth of a tramway in Ghent. From 1904 to 1961 the system was operated by "Tramway Electriques de Gand".
During the process of electrification, the track gauge was reduced from to.

Late 20th century

In the 1960s the tram network of Ghent decreased rapidly, there were eleven routes in 1961. By 1974 there were just four; the route to Melle closed on New Year's Eve, 1973.
  • In 1961 the tram property was transferred from the TEG Tramway Electriques de Gand to the MIVG municipal organization.
  • Until 1974 the archaic two/three-axle trams "oude gele tramkes" were used on Ghent's tram network. During their working life, they were rebuilt and refurbished several times.
  • Plans for a metro-like light rail network were made in the 1970s but were abandoned.
  • In 1989 the trolleybus operated along the former tram route 3. In June 2009, the trolleybus stopped running, and under the Pegasusplan the route will revert to tram operation.
  • In 1991, the MIVG tram undertaking became part of De Lijn.
  • In the 1990s Ghent's tram system started to expand again. In 1993 route 21 was extended to Melle Leeuw. In 1999, routes 21/22 were extended from Sint-Pieters to Zwijnaardebrug, near the E40 motorway; a further extension to Zwijnaarde-Dorp south of the E40 is under construction and due to open in November 2016, an additional branch to Ghent University Hospital opened in March 2016. The last extension previous to that took place in April 2005 when route 1 was extended to the Flanders Expo complex.
  • Starting in 1998, a modernization of the Gent PCC trams took place. This modernization featured a completely new interior, and separate driver's cabs at each end, with air conditioning.

    Since 2000

  • Since 2000, the Ghent tram network started to receive new generation Low Floor tram stock, these trams were named HermeLijn. Prior to this, such trams were supplied in Antwerp. Unlike Antwerp, PCC trams used in Ghent are double-ended. HermeLijn in Ghent, of the first order have serial number 6301 — 6314. In 2005 another order of 17 HermeLijn trams arrived in Ghent. Another ten arrived in 2007.
  • Between January 2024 and 2028, there are no trams on the main tramway Gent-Sint-Pieters railway station - :nl:Veldstraat - Korenmarkt to the city centre. Instead, tram route 1 follows the route of tram 3 south of the city centre.

    Future plans

Significant expansion of the Ghent tram network is planned up to 2025; the network would expand to instead of, and six routes instead of three. Route 3 to Mariakerke, closed in 1969, is planned to reopen in the 2010s under De Lijn's Pegasusplan. Plans are also afoot for a tramline connecting Gent Sint-Pieters and Gent-Dampoort railway stations. The plan also includes increased frequencies, additional bus services and a Park & Ride system. In 2014 the extension works started for tram lines 21 and 22 to the centre of Zwijnaarde and for tram line 4 to Ghent University Hospital. The latter opened on 13 March 2016. The extension to the centre of Zwijnaarde followed on 6 November 2016.
As of April 2024, only the expansion of tramway 4 from Gent Neuseplein to Gent Dampoort is planned, with the start of the extension works expected in 2025. This will add of tracks and 3 new tram stops.
The conversion of a part of busline 10 and 11 into a tramroute is postponed until further notice, while some part of the tracks have already been laid in the city centre, between the Sint-Michielshelling and Sint-Jacobs. This is due tramroute T7 getting a higher priority, which is a new line between Sint-Denijs-Westrem and Gent Dampoort, adding of new tracks and of shared tracks with T1. The start of this project is expected around 2028.
Both the extension of T4 and the new tramline T7 are part of the Gentspoort project, a big mobility project around Ghent expected to start in 2027, consisting of 6 separate projects.

Routes

Routes overlap each other in some places. As of 6 January 2024, there are four routes in Ghent: Numbers 1, 2, 3 and 4. Every route has its own color; this color is depicted in a vehicle's destination sign, as well as on maps and schematics.
Image:GhentTram6204.jpg|thumb|300px|A Euro PCC tram operating route 4.
LineRoute
T1Flanders Expo – Gent-Sint-Pieters railway station – Kouter – Zuid – Gentbrugge Stelplaats
T2Evergem;– Wondelgem – Korenmarkt – Zuid – Melle Leeuw
T3Zwijnaarde Bibliotheek – Gent-Sint-Pieters railway station – Kouter – Zuid – Moscou
T4Gent UZ – Gent-Sint-Pieters railway station – Rabot – Muide – Lange Steenstraat

Some services follow a truncated route. Until 2004 they had their own numbers. For example, 11 and 12 were shortened versions of routes 1 and 2; the shortened routes along the way of route 4 were known as 41, 42 while route 4 was numbered 40. Nowadays, when a route is shortened, it retains the same number and just shows a different destination on its destination sign.
Additional shortened routes are organized frequently when mass activities such as Gentse Feesten take place in the center of the city. Bidirectional rolling stock makes it easier to organize shortened routes.
While works on the tracks at the Coupure area are being done, tramline T4 will only serve 4 stops from Sint-Pieters Station to Ghent's University Hospital. Normal service should resume around summer 2024.
The current routes are expected to last until 2029, when the rebuild between Veldstraat and Kortrijksepoortstraat is finished. This will have an impact on the route of tramline T1.

Schedule

Trams on all of the routes run from approximately 5:30 AM until 01:30 AM on weekdays, until 2:15 AM on friday and saturday and until 11:30 PM on sundays. The interval between trams is between 5 minutes and 20 minutes. Each tram stop within the city of Ghent has a timetable.

Tram stops

All stops are request stops, made only on passengers' requests. In order to leave a tram at a given stop, a passenger must push a special button in the tram. This invokes a short sound signal, and a special red indicator lamp is lit in the passenger space, along with a signal lamp on the driver's control panel.
At a stop, when wishing to board, a passenger should raise their hand to request an approaching tram to halt.

Tickets

The Ghent tram is operated by De Lijn ; the fare control system is the same as on all public transport in Flanders, and there are no turnstiles. A passenger should stamp a ticket in a validator in the tram at the start of a journey, and every time you take a connection tram or bus after that.
A ticket, which allows an hour's travel over most of the city, costs €3 as of August 2025. Tickets are sold by vending machines at many tram stops, and at special "Lijnwinkel" kiosks. Tickets can also be bought online or on-board the tram with a contactless payment card. It is no longer possible to purchase a ticket from a tram driver. There are no conductors on trams, but sometimes tickets are checked by fare enforcers; travellers without tickets may be fined €107 for a first time offense and up to €400 for a third or more time offense within 12 months. More recently these fare enforcers are oftentimes accompanied by several police officers. They have been granted some extended powers since 2009.
On PCC trams, the front door works only for entry; on newer HermeLijn trams passengers can enter or exit trams using any of the doors.