Charleroi Trams Lines

Charleroi Trams Lines

The completion and opening of the central loop in 2012 led to a significant reorganization of the metro/tram lines previously operating on the system. The five former lines – 54, 55, 84, 88, and 89 – that operated on the network were replaced on 27 February 2012 by three new lines (M1, M2 and M4); a fourth line (M3) went into service on 22 June 2013.

Lines of the Métro Léger de Charleroi

Line Route     Opened     Length     Stations

• M1     Anderlues-Monument – Piges – Ouest – Sud – Parc – Waterloo – Palais – Piges – Anderlues-Monument

(anticlockwise) 27 February 2012 32.1 km (19.9 mi) 28
(18 distinct)
+ 12 tram stops
(6 distinct)

• M2     Anderlues-Monument – Piges – Palais – Waterloo – Parc – Sud – Ouest – Palais – Piges – Anderlues-Monument

(clockwise) 27 February 2012 32.1 km (19.9 mi) 29
(18 distinct)

• M3     Gosselies-Faubourg de Bruxelles – Piges – Palais – Waterloo – Parc – Sud – Ouest – Palais – Piges – Gosselies-Faubourg de Bruxelles

(clockwise) 22 June 2013 19.5 km (12.1 mi) 11
(9 distinct)
+ 27 tram stops
(18 distinct)

• M4     Soleilmont – Waterloo – Palais – Ouest – Sud – Parc – Waterloo – Soleilmont

(anticlockwise) 27 February 2012 12.0 km (7.5 mi) 21
(14 distinct)

• M5     Neuville – Yernaux – Pensée – Centenaire – Champeau – Roctiau – Corbeau – Les Viviers planned for 2027 5.5 km (3.4 mi) 17

(8 distinct)

The system is run by TEC Charleroi, a subsidiary of the Walloon public transport operator (Société Régionale Wallonne du Transport). Intervals between trains depend on the period (weekdays/weekends, holidays, etc.). The standard interval is 30 minutes for lines M1 and M2, ensuring a 15 minutes interval on the Charleroi – Anderlues section. This interval becomes 60 minutes (30 minutes on the common section) on weekends and holidays, and during the July–August period. On line M4, the standard interval is 10 minutes (15 minutes on Sundays and public holidays); similarly, line M3 also runs with 10-minute intervals.

From 2012 on, all trams have been equipped with orange colored LED destination indicators, displaying the line number and final station. Prior to that, mechanical destination indicators were used, using various layouts. The most common display showed two distinctly colored rectangles indicating the most important stations of the line, with the line number displayed on a white square between both rectangles. Rectangle color used the following code:

• Pale yellow : Used on lines originating/terminating in Anderlues.
• Bright yellow : Used on lines originating/terminating at Gilly.
• Dark blue : Used on lines originating/terminating at Sud.
• Dark green : Used on lines originating/terminating at Parc.

Beside this system, it happened that trams only displayed the terminus station as one of Charleroi-Sud (dark blue background) or Parc (green), without line number. Line 84 used a completely different display with black characters on a completely white background and line number on the right.

Trams run on the right track, except on the Soleilmont branch and the out-of-service Châtelet branch. Some short street-running sections in Anderlues and in Gosselies are single track. Theoretical maximum speed on the network is 65 km/h (40 mph), but actual speed is generally lower, especially on curves. Speed limits are displayed on panels along the track and can take one of the following values : 10 km/h (6.2 mph), 17 km/h (11 mph), 25 km/h (16 mph), 35 km/h (22 mph), 45 km/h (28 mph), 55 km/h (34 mph) and 65 km/h (40 mph). An onboard system warns the driver in case of overspeed, and will stop the tram abruptly in absence of reaction. A similar system will stop the tram immediately in the event of a red signal being ignored. Rail switches are controlled directly by tram drivers using a remote control unit sending a signal to a receiver along the track.

Charleroi Trams Stations

As of 2013, the Charleroi network comprises 48 stations (24 metro stations and 24 tram stops) served by four lines. There are also 3 unused stations on the unfinished Châtelet branch (see below).

Station entrances are marked with a stylized white "M" on a blue background, identical to the symbol used by the Brussels metro. Access to the platforms is unrestricted (no gates/barriers) and most stations are not staffed. Some stations are equipped with automatic ticket vending machines; otherwise tickets are sold by machines inside the trams (tickets used to be sold directly by the tram drivers until 2012).

Charleroi Trams Overview

Charleroi Trams Owner: Opérateur de transport de Wallonie
Charleroi Trams Locale: Charleroi, Hainaut, Belgium
Charleroi Trams Transit Type: Semi-metro (Light rail)
Charleroi Trams Number of Lines: 4
Charleroi Trams Line Number: M1, M2, M3, M4
Charleroi Trams Number of Stations: 48 (incl. 26 tram stops)
Charleroi Trams Headquarters: Place des Tramways, 9/1 6000 Charleroi
Charleroi Trams Began Operation: 21 June 1976; 48 years ago
Charleroi Trams Operator(s): TEC Charleroi
Charleroi Trams Number of Vehicles: 48
Charleroi Trams System Length: 33 km (21 mi)
Charleroi Trams Track Gauge: 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) metre gauge
Charleroi Trams Electrification: 600 V DC overhead