Belgian railway line 25


The Belgian railway line 25 is the oldest railway line in Belgium. It connects the main two cities in Belgium: Brussels and Antwerp. The section between Brussels and Mechelen was completed in on May 5, 1835 and was the first railroad in Belgium. On May 3, 1836, the second section was opened. It was extended to Luchtbal in the north of Antwerp in 2007 in order to shorten the route from Amsterdam to Brussels. The total line runs 47.6 km.
Over most of its length it is paralleled by line 27 so that 4 tracks are available. During business hours, line 25 serves fast trains while local trains use line 27.
The line goes through the following stations:
A recent addition is line 25N, which branches off south of Mechelen to follow the E19 motorway into the Diabolo to Brussels National Airport. As of 2019, works are underway to extend this line 25N through the Mechelen station, adding two platforms, to rejoin the "regular" line 25 North of Nekkerspoel station.
L25N has 25 kV electric power, and allows speeds up to 220 km/h.