Wallonia | Living in Wallonia| Getting around

Wallonia has a modern and efficient transport network that covers the main destinations within the country while also providing speedy connections to major European cities.

rail network

The Belgian rail network extends for more than 3,400 km, making up a fast and efficient network that links the main towns across the country and major cities in neighbouring countries.

There are various different rail packages on offer, which can be broken down into four main categories:

• Individual tickets, intended for infrequent use, allow passengers to make a single or return journey between any two Belgian rail stations.
• Train travel cards and season tickets, aimed at regular rail commuters, are designed for use on the same line or within the same zone.
• Various promotional "Pass" options for specific journeys and passengers allow passengers to travel alone or as part of a group for a fixed amount (good value when travelling long distances).
• Tourist packages, ideal for day-trips or trips of two days or more.

Since January 1, 2005, the free rail travel scheme for journeys to the workplace from home has been extended to include private companies. Any company can now negotiate an agreement with the SNCB for providing employees with season rail tickets.

International rail links are provided by 470 high-speed Thalys trains that criss-cross four different countries each week: Germany, Belgium, France and the Netherlands. In 2007, Thalys trains carried 6.2 million passengers.

By the end of 2008, the Thalys trains will bring you from Paris to Amsterdam in 3hr13 and from Brussels to Amsterdamm in 1hr46.

By mid-2009, the Thalys trains will bring you from paris to Cologne in 3hr14 and from Brussels to Cologne in 1hr47.

new Nivelles-brussels rer line on the horizon 

In early February 2006, the Wallonia government granted planning permission for the Wallonia section of the Nivelles-Brussels RER line.
This line, which allows trains to travel at speeds of up to 160 km/hour, is scheduled to be operational in 2012. The objective of this regional express network, which spans four lines and for which a 50% increase in passenger traffic is expected, is to connect Brussels with all of the major towns and cities within a 30 km radius. From 2012, it is planned to have RER trains running every 15 minutes during peak hours.

TEC - public bus transport network

TEC stands for "Transport en Commun" and refers to the public transport (bus) companies that operate in the Wallonia region. With buses running every day of the year, the services provided by the TEC network cover in excess of 90 million kilometres.
Its regular services run according to fixed timetables, serving all stops along the route and are accessible to everyone without restriction, provided of course passengers have purchased a ticket, the price of which varies between 1.30 euro and 3.60 euro per journey for infrequent travellers, depending on the distance.

More cost-effective ticket packages are available for passengers who wish to use public transport more regularly (passes and season tickets).
The network serves 293 towns and communes in Belgium, extending well beyond the borders of Wallonia.
In 2007, passengers made almost 225 million journeys, in complete security.

road network

Motorways:
Wallonia's very dense motorway network is structured around two main axes:

• North to South axis (Netherlands – France)
  - E19: Amsterdam – Brussels – Paris
  - E25: Amsterdam – Liège – Luxembourg
  - E411: Brussels– Luxembourg
• East to West axis (France/U.K. – Germany)
  - E40: Ostende – Brussels - Liège –Cologne
  - E42: London – Dunkerque – Lille – Namur – Liège –Trèves
  - E429: London – Dunkerque – Lille – Brussels

Wallonia's numerous motorways fall within the scope of the TransEuropean Transport network programme (TEN-T). This priority programme run by the European Union provides more than 70,000 km of transport infrastructure, including motorways, express rail lines and roadways, and has been developed to carry substantial volumes of traffic.

Source : IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook 2007

Main roads:
The main roads in Belgium are designated using letters (A for motorways, R for ring roads and N for regional roads), as well as a number comprising up to 3 digits: A54, R0, N25, N238 etc.

Wallonia's airports:

Brussels South Charleroi airport:
Ideally located at 46 km from Brussels, Brussels South Charleroi airport is easily accessed by motorway and now offers 20 low-cost destinations to up to six European capitals.
Directly linked to Brussels with more than 20 daily shuttles, Brussels South Charleroi offers a wide range of services, making Charleroi Airport one of the most popular airports in Europe.

Liege airport:

Liège airport is located at the centre of the Amsterdam, Paris, Frankfurt triangle and provides a highly efficient logistics infrastructure for transporting commercial goods by truck. Accessible 24/7, Liège is the first airport in Europe to focus its development strategy on the transport of commercial goods.