Transportation in Belgium
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This article is about transportation in Belgium.
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Railways
Main article: Rail transport in Belgium
Total of 3,437 km (2,446 km electrified; 2,563 km double track) all on standard gauge of 1.435 m (1998).
NMBS/SNCB is the National Railway Company of Belgium.
Trains, unlike road traffic, run on the left.
City with metro system: Brussels (MIVB/STIB, see also Brussels Metro). Cities with light rail systems: Antwerp (De Lijn), Charleroi (TEC), Ghent (De Lijn). Some heavy metro infrastructures were built in Antwerp and in Charleroi and its suburbs, but these are currently used by light rail vehicles, and their conversion to full metro is not envisaged at present due to lack of funds.
Rail links with adjacent countries
- All adjacent countries use the same 1435mm gauge.
- Netherlands - yes - different voltage 3000VDC/1500VDC
- Germany - yes - different voltage 3000VDC/15kVAC
- Luxembourg - yes - different voltage 3000VDC/25kVAC??
- France - yes - different voltage 3000VDC/25kVAC
Highways
total:
145,850 km
paved:
117,701 km (including 1,682 km of expressways)
unpaved:
28,149 km (1998)
Waterways
2,043 km (1,528 km in regular commercial use)
Pipelines
crude oil 161 km; petroleum products 1,167 km; natural gas 3,300 km
Ports and harbors
Sea ports
Antwerp (one of the world's busiest ports) Port of Antwerp (http://www.portofantwerp.com/)
| 2003 | unloaded | loaded | total |
| Total volume in tonnes | 77,596,356 | 65,278,156 | 142,874,512 |
| Container volume in TEU | 2,642,338 | 2,803,100 | 5,445,437 |
| Barge traffic in tonnes | 33,990,726 | 42,623,875 | 76,614,601 |
| 2004 | unloaded | loaded | total |
| Total volume in tonnes | 83,109,485 | 69,217,080 | 152,326,565 |
| Container volume in TEU | 2,946,297 | 3,117,450 | 6,063,746 |
| Barge traffic in tonnes | 35,969,512 | 45,969,918 | 81,939,430 |
Zeebrugge (Port suburb of Bruges) Port of Bruges (http://www.zeebruggeport.be/)
Ghent Port of Ghent (http://www.havengent.be/)
Ostend Port of Ostend (http://www.portofoostende.be/)
Main inland ports
Brussels (also accessible for ocean-going ships) Port of Brussels (http://www.havenvanbrussel.irisnet.be/)
Liège (one of the busiest in Europe) Port of Liège (http://www.liege.port-autonome.be/)
European portuary context
European Sea Ports Organisation ESPO (http://www.espo.be/)
European Federation of Inland Ports FEPI (http://www.inlandports.be/)
Inland Navigation Europe INE (http://www.inlandnavigation.org/)
2002 ranking of world ports by tonnage and by container volume (in TEU) Port ranking (http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0104779.html)
Merchant marine
total:
22 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 35,075 GRT/57,347 DWT
ships by type:
cargo 7, chemical tanker 8, petroleum tanker 7 (1999 est.)
Airports
Main article: List of airports in Belgium.
42 (1999 est.)
with paved runways
total:
24
over 3,047 m:
6, including Brussels International Airport.
2,438 to 3,047 m:
8
1,524 to 2,437 m:
3
914 to 1,523 m:
1
under 914 m:
6 (1999 est.)
with unpaved runways
total:
18
914 to 1,523 m:
2
under 914 m:
16 (1999 est.)
Heliports
1 (1999.)
Reference
Much of the material in this article comes from the CIA World Factbook 2000.