The Belgian City That Built Two Metro Lines The Wrong Way Round

Yes, we're back in Charleroi again. Because the story of its Metro gets EVEN WEIRDER.
Link in case you haven't seen Part One: • The Belgian City That ...
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IMAGE CREDITS
Charleroi 1960s Metro Plan by Nico Brussels and Dirk Hillbrecht - commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
SNCV logo by BS~frwiki - commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
STIC logo by Olbaussart75 - commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
Vicinal Tram in Charleroi by smiley.toerist -
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...

[@TheTimTraveller]

p.s. There is something I should have made clearer in the video. A few people are asking why, after the merger, they couldn't have simply switched the old STIC lines to run on the same side as everything else. The reason is that all the signalling and related electrics had already been installed on the left hand side. It would have been a massive pain, not to mention hugely expensive, to take it all out and put it on the right. Much cheaper, and easier, to install two little crossovers!

[@atkelar]

Nice to have it next to a vintage point. They can set up popcorn stands for bystanders to wait for the first head on collision 🤣 - seriously; moving a few (it's not many stations I gather) signals over by a few meters might be more costly initially, but should be worth it for a real operating line?

[@Septimus_ii]

@@atkelar I think the cost and inconvenience of the crossover would be quite small

[@TheTimTraveller]

@@atkelar I guess we'll find out when they start work on the line 5 project! Will be interesting to see if they resignal it and run it on the right, or just leave it as it is

[@STE6677]

Ow that's why

[@DavidIrwinsPage]

@@TheTimTraveller My money's on they resignal and run it on the right, with the added bonus of a second crossover to undo the effects of the first crossover 😁

[@The2wanderers]

"That's enough about the Charleroi metro" says the man who seems to misunderstand the audience he's developed.

[@TheTimTraveller]

Hahaha :D

[@daanwilmer]

Influx of Belgian subscribers in 3, 2, 1...

[@Okurka.]

@@daanwilmer Except that the southern part barely understands English.

[@ft4709]

„That’s enough about the Chaleroi metro, after all, we have two more weird-ass belgium metro systems to talk about“

[@jlust6660]

@@ft4709 And the 'Whatever anyone is still willing to build by now' Hasselt-Maastricht

[@alexanderthomas2660]

Belgian politics is the gift that keeps on giving when you need material for videos.

[@GBA811]

Comming from a Third World Country, its nice to see that every government no matter where they came from, is incapable of making proper decisions, and end up disagreeing on the smallest things.

[@roderickjoyce6716]

@@GBA811 Coming from the United Kingdom .... 😁

[@stolas6986]

@@GBA811 preach

[@evileyeball]

Nice Futron picture

[@schlollepop]

@@GBA811 All governments (like all large organizations) tend to have their inefficiencies. Belgium, however, has a certain tradition of being a bit more special than other countries in this regard.

[@plusfastvn]

In Belgium there is a simple rule: anything worth doing is worth doing the diufficult way. And with this metro line, even the things not worth doing have to be done the difficult way, because that is the Belgian way.

[@cedric7261]

Nog nooit van gehoord makker

[@lyrimetacurl0]

Also putting the crossing point at the most dangerous place where the train will fall into oncoming vehicles.

[@AverytheCubanAmerican]

More examples of this: In South Korea, Seoul Metro line 4. During the Japanese occupation, railroads were made to run on the left. After independence, it was too costly to "fix" all the rail systems from left to right, so this still continues till today for intercity railway systems. But an exception was made to when building metros: they were made to run on the right side. So when they tried to make Line 4 longer by connecting Line 4 (which runs on the right side) to Korail lines (which runs on the left), they solved this problem by building a 3-dimensional grade separation in the tunnels. Also, they run on different electricity (DC1500V / AC25000V) so carriages running both parts of the line is able to switch those. Hong Kong has a similar left hand to right hand running swap in the middle of the Tuen Ma line, although the reason was more understandable. Originally the Tuen Ma line was two separate lines built by the same company, the KCR or the Kowloon-Canton Railway. The western line (simply known as the West Rail line) used normal left hand running, but the eastern line (the former Ma On Shan line) used right hand running to allow an easier cross platform interchange at Tai Wai.

[@archilieven]

The most Belgian thing to do would to renovate the whole thing and then cut the budget again just before opening.

[@marcvanartevelde5586]

And then they'll decide what they actually want are German style monorail because.

[@konskift]

My money is on: they renovate the line, then buy new rolling stock that is only right hand running, so they re-renovate the line to handle right hand running. and only then close it all down because of lack of funds.

[@Kaizerzydeco1]

Belgian and Canadian, except in Canada it would never run right even if they built it.

[@Mart77]

@@konskift Sir are you from the future?

[@ingvarhallstrom2306]

It's like something Douglas Adams may have written....

[@ReptilianLepton]

Some call him a state-owned bureaucratic nightmare. Some say he's got an ego the size of a tram. All we know is: he's called the STIC.

[@katho8472]

Thats a great CROSSOVER quote ;)

[@jestestuman]

This quote is fantaSTIC

[@panda4247]

Jose Jalapeno. On a STIC

[@SpiritmanProductions]

That is inspired. 10/10

[@ljphoenix4341]

Fair play, great comment. Needs more likes than just 170, that's a crying shame. Edit: after 11 days, I'm happy to see there are 470 likes now. Much better!

[@enemixius]

The tram network in Gothenburg, Sweden, has a crossover as well. On the Angered line, just before Hjällbo, the trams switch to the left and the stops have island platforms. The reason behind this was that this part of the line was originally built as a metro, but after the plans for a city-wide metro system were scrapped it was instead integrated into the tram network, which runs unidirectional trams with doors on the right.

[@osasunaitor]

What a mess... no surprise that they are so _angered_

[@georgev.georgeson5300]

The same goes also for Nockebybanan, a tram line in Stockholm, that was originally built for left-hand traffic and today shares a depot with the subway, that is run on the left. So today, the whole tram line runs on the right, but just before Alvik, in Alléparken, switches to the left through a similar crossover.

[@andreasa.h3592]

@@osasunaitor Funny pun, but at least there wasn't any big mess behind it

[@TheJourneyAhead]

The Transport Tycoon music at 01:23 fits perfect for the video. Remembers me back to my youth when I used to build complex railway systems in Transport Tycoon for hours.

[@kwikdahl]

OpenTTD can take you back!

[@TheJourneyAhead]

@@kwikdahl I know. I played all of them Transport Tycoon (DOS), Transport Tycoon Deluxe (Win9x) and OpenTTD (mostly on Linux)

[@igotoschoolbybus1942]

On openttd I would have built a bridge so that the flow is not interrupted

[@robertridley-fj8zz]

I thought the real genius was using Blondie's "One Way or Another when explaining the one sided trams. Took me a few moments to realise what the song I recognized was, and then I couldn't stop smiling.

[@GenialHarryGrout]

I'm from Charleroi from the year 2099. The metro still isn't open and there are still minor discussions holding up progress. At the moment the project has been stalled because the 2 sides can't agree on the size of waffles that to be provided during meetings. This issue has been ongoing for 17 years and it is hoped that a resolution can be found before 2105 so that the next issue can be addressed, which is what should actually go on top of the waffles during meetings

[@Snakke40]

I still think it's ridiculous that in the end they decided to go with a Brussels waffle and not a Liégeois waffle. Sure, I get it's partly symoblic since after the concession on Brussels sprouts the federal govenrment wanted another food. But the Liégeois waffle is just better for this kind of meetings! Agh, some day, some day.

[@Okurka.]

Liar, Belgium split 70 years ago after the war.

[@duncansnowden6857]

The irony being that both sides are AIs and can't eat waffles anyway. But they're not allowed to know that in case it traumatises them (we don't want another Manchester Incident), so they keep arguing.

[@swededude1992]

😂😂😂😂😂

[@wolf3522]

I'm also from Charleroi, but from the year 2278. By now all city metro lines are shut down, because we've invented the flying metro. In the west of the city it flies its routes counterclockwise, but in the east they insisted it was their heritage to fly clockwise. I guess some things never change. Ah well, line 5 is still there, because after the great waffle settlement of 2182, it was decided to reuse the old power generator on line 5 for the flying metro recharging station. And in order to keep the power generator running, all overhead power lines needed needed to stay intact.

[@TasareAlda]

The phrase "...part 2 of the story. And this is where it gets really weird..." My first thought "But part 1 was really freaking weird? How can this be worse?" But I tip my hat to you, this was weirder. Belgium is a strange place it seems.

[@alexanderthomas2660]

I live in Belgium. It _is_ a strange place.

[@mark76533]

Guess that's the result of Belgian Politics

[@Sacto1654]

@@alexanderthomas2660 Starting with French that is not quite Metropolitan French and Dutch that is somewhat different than in the Netherlands. 🤦🏻‍♂️😑🙄

[@worldtraveler930]

It sounds like a Total and Complete Cluster Rutt!!! 😃😆😁

[@MegaBanne]

Strange public transport disputes and strange beer. Please never change Belgium lol.

[@SupremeLeaderKimJong-un]

A more interesting tram fact: Three of Pyongyang's tram lines uses Czechoslovak trams or DPRK-made tram bodies on Czechoslovak-made chassis. But there is a FOURTH line, and this special line runs from Kim Il-sung University to Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, the resting place of my grandpa and father. Originally there was a Metro station below the palace called Kwangmyong on the Hyoksin Line, but it closed when the palace became sacred grounds as a mausoleum, and so a tram line was built from Samhung station also on the Hyoksin Line to the palace. This is a meter gauge tram line, and unlike the other lines, it uses trailers built in the late 40s in Switzerland that have since been retired from Zurich's tram system. I miss Switzerland

[@masonsykes2240]

Hey kim! Urethral papercut

[@masonsykes2240]

I thoroughly apologize for my last comment, I was drunk

[@simonlb24]

I love the 'Complicated' tune at the end. Tim, your channel gets ever more brilliant and obtuse at the same time!

[@enelabe]

And also "One Way or Another" by Blondie when he's talking about the different directions! Such a funny easter egg

[@player3prime]

Like the Zurich tram schwamedingen extension that was supposed to be a metro but then got converted into a tram line where at both tunnel exits there's a crossing as trams only have doors on one side but the platforms are in the middle.

[@100dampf]

Damn it, I wanted to write that XD

[@stefanhaustein]

Technically, there is only a (level) crossing at Schwamerdingerplatz -- Milchbuck has an underground flyover...

[@stefanhaustein]

(which also avoids crossing the tracks going on to Schaffhauserstrasse)

[@librarian16]

That's rather like the Kingsway tram subway in London. It wasn't such a big problem because all the trams were double ended, so in the tunnel you had to get off at the front, where the driver was.

[@didierjud8086]

Guess what was the reason they built the planned "metro" with middle platform instead of side platforms: ...money...

[@eeblihp]

Haha the Transport Tycoon music

[@c.d.r.7709]

that tune brings back so many memories

[@jvccr7533]

goddamnit, how did i not notice? as in, i completely blocked out the bgm

[@MrPsychomonkey]

@@c.d.r.7709 so many memories of so many hours

[@freddouille620]

Thanks, TIm. Last week my wife, my daughter and i were walking along the line 4, and i told to my wife "why on this life the tramway uses the opposite track than the others. Now i have the answer!

[@TheTimTraveller]

Haha glad I could help!

[@McRocket]

I really like your 'Hello' to start each video. It's just the right amount of cheerfulness and positivity - without being sappy. ☮

[@Squizie3]

Nice video, however there's... No, I'm joking, it's crazy enough for now 😅 Thanks for the shout out! For people interested in unused metro infrastructure, Antwerp (yes, on the other side of the waffle iron politics) also still has one unused metro tunnel. It is also opening in 2026, so soon there won't be any left in the country. On a slightly unrelated note, the 'Ronquières inclined plane' and the 'Strépy-Thieu boat lift' are two impressive boat lifts which are also a product of the waffle iron politics, and would be very fitting for a The Tim Traveller video.

[@PTB_BE]

Oh Tim, I don’t know if it has been told already but in anticipation of the metro network the STIC scrapped their traditional tramlines in the 70s… 🙃

[@ivopiscevic]

I live in Antwerp and didn't know about this

[@napsiuslebelche5846]

Ronquières is really impressive, yeah ! I think the story of the Clabecq forges (wich aren't far from there) would be interesting too

[@andrewwalker5891]

It's a shame that the visitor centre at Ronquières didn't survive the pandemic; it was open three years ago when we did a quick recce, but remained closed last month when we were there. At last we got to see the incline in action, it is certainly a remarkable sight.

[@guntherqm1816]

There's actually also an unused metro tunnel in Liège so there will still be unused metro tunnels in the country

[@Gussy_gussy]

5:24 haha great background music. "Complicated" really is a fitting song for this troubled rail system

[@Beri1984]

I love it how you have cheekily added the main theme of Transport Tycoon Deluxe 😁

[@totocarolo905]

I’m born and lived in Charleroi and i didn’t know it! Great work and thank you.

[@SeverityOne]

As a Dutchman (from the south, mind you, a mere 15 km from the border) it never ceases to amaze me how the Belgians are so geographically close, but culturally might as well be from Mars.

[@kattkatt744]

Nah, if it wasn't for the fact that the Netherlands is in consciously in danger of being washed out to sea, I don't think they would have gotten their engineering in order any better than the Belgians. As one of my friends say, the Dutch used all their brainpower on the dikes and bicycles, and just spends what little is left on arguing.

[@stolas6986]

@@kattkatt744 lol

[@kassistwisted]

Hallo fellow Brabanter!

[@SeverityOne]

@@kassistwisted Wrong province. 🙂

[@Okurka.]

It never ceases to amaze me that Dutchies think a universal Belgian exists.

[@MrMarkusmulder]

Thanks for the video and stay safe ✌️

[@michaelasmodels9888]

I'm so glad you did this

[@jaribombarie394]

Only in Belgium. But what do you expect with 7 layers of government

[@Eurobazz]

17 in Spain.

[@SeverityOne]

Strictly speaking, they're not layers. They occupy different geographical regions and/or remits. For a ridiculous number of layers of government, go to France.

[@jonjohnson2844]

I won't believe Belgium exists until I see it for myself ;)

[@falsemcnuggethope]

@@jonjohnson2844 Belgium is just a name for a set of systems that are related by geographical location.

[@cat5636]

6, not 7.

[@d3x7r0]

I'm pretty sure this isn't the first time but I just noticed that the background music comes from Transport Tycoon and, me being a massive fan of that game, I just had to comment to give you kudos for it. It brought a smile to my face (and is so appropriate for the video to boot!)

[@actua99]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who noticed :D

[@douglasboyle6544]

And the song at the end was "Complicated" by Avril Lavine "Why'd ya have to go and make things so complicated..."

[@d3x7r0]

@@douglasboyle6544 Amazing! Didn't even notice that one :D

[@nielskoolstra]

@@douglasboyle6544 That one i did pick up, my brain went into sing a long as soon as i heard it

[@petertaylor4980]

Tim's videos are full of musical Easter eggs, which is one reason I always read the comments.

[@rayoflight62]

So nice to see your travel vlogs again! Last month I traveled to London City after two years. It felt festive, not boring as it was in the recent past. I've been many times on that lines, on my way from the airport to the Brussel hinterland, I noted the unusual change of tracks, but I never really looked for an explanation, to be honest. You gave me the explanation that I would never been able to find by myself. Thank you and welcome back to the old glory! Regards, Anthony

[@flyingmyles]

as always a great video! Loving the throw back to the Transport Tycoon theme hidden in there!!

[@OlegDorbitt]

Kinda reminds me of the Kriviy Rih metro in Ukraine, where trams (yes, not trains) run on the left on the underground stations and on the right on the surface ones.

[@Inetman]

Same thing works in Volgograd, Russia.

[@blanco7726]

@@Inetman because of island stations?

[@Inetman]

@@blanco7726, exactly. Also with trams underground.

[@jonistan9268]

We have a similar situation in Zurich in Switzerland. There was a project for an underground metro system, so it was decided in 1971 to already build the tunnel of a branch line to the proposed (but not approved) line 1. Said branch line was to run a motorway tunnel and they decided to already build it together with the motorway and got approval for that. But two years later the entire metro project surprisingly was rejected by the voters of the city and the canton. But they continued construction on the already approved tunnel, so they now had a tunnel with no metro to put in. So they decided to run a tram line along it instead. I would assume that nobody was surprised by this, as it was already stated in 1971 (when the section was approved) that "in the unlikely event" that the metro projects would be rejected, they could use the tunnel for a tram project. The three intermediate stops in the tunnel section are built like metro stations with island platforms, but the trams in Zurich are unidirectional and only have doors on the right, which is why the trams run on the left in the tunnel.

[@TheDiveO]

They totally missed the chance to not only bicker about LHD/RHD, but also differing heights for the passenger platforms. Tim, maybe you want to visit the beautiful city of Cologne with their KVB tram system with varying platform heights to acomodate for the different tram stock they purchased over the years, with stations having different height sections...? I would really like to hear you explaining this...!

[@OofusTwillip]

There are a couple of train stations in Toronto, Canada that have bi-level platforms for different trains. The Bloor and Weston stations have low platforms at one end of them (for commuter GO Trains), and high platforms at the other (for the UPX trains that run between Union Station and Pearson Airport).

[@schenckinator5427]

Colone is interesting, because they somehow manage to connect to Bonn using the same height of platforms while not being sure for themselves. And Duisburg is, if you ask me, even worse. There Central Stations underground part is an innavigatable mess, with two different heights and two levels where trains are going the same way on both sides

[@sammartland932]

In Utah, US, the Frontrunner commuter rail uses trains of three double-deck coaches that they had built for the service and one old single-deck coach they bought from New Jersey Transit (I think). The platforms are made to fit the trains: three cars' worth of platform tall enough to exactly match the doors on the lower level of the double-decker coaches, and one car's worth of platform maybe 40 cm LOWER that is about even with the bottom step of the stairs that go up to the floor of the single-level coaches, which is of course is roughly halfway between the heights of the two levels of the double-decker coaches. You read that right: the system has two different platform heights because every train includes equipment that needs different heights; and you use the lower platform to get to the higher coach.

[@angeljamais8541]

@@sammartland932 that is awesome and would quite deserve a video

[@oO_ox_O]

@@sammartland932 What what what?!

[@Rega128]

AH

[@Neldot]

Tim, I would be so glad if in one of your future travels you would visit Naples, Italy. There are really a lot of interesting and weird trams/trains related things in the city that hosted the first italian railway in 1839. These things include the first italian station (1839) left totally abandoned instead of being an historical monument; the main metro line (line 1) of the city which probably has the weirdest subway route in the world (see maps), presenting an helicoidal curved loop to gain altitude, 6% slopes, very deep stations built 40 meters underground, and a lot of others characteristics that resemble more a mountain railway than a metro; a very weird metro network numbering system, that skips numbers (we have line 1, line 2 and then we skip to line 6); the metro line 2 that, despite being the first subway line opened in Italy, has been demoted to "2" and is still confused on her real identity; the bigger narrow gauge station in Europe (Porta Nolana station) still active and a long, forgotten history, of suppressed tram lines and narrow gauge railroads (including the famous rack one that reached the Vesuvius vulcan). There are also 4 century-old but still active and very busy funicular railways.

[@mebamme]

Love that musical transition at 0:38.

[@JosephDavies]

The Transport Tycoon Theme is so appropriate for this topic, I can't think of anything which would have suited it better. And now you've made me want to play it again.

[@flitsertheo]

Being a very old game, does a version compatible with the latest Windows version exist ?

[@jwt27]

@@flitsertheo OpenTTD

[@fadetounforgiven]

@@flitsertheo yes, OpenTTD works on, at least, windows 10. Ask me how I know that ;-)

[@princeofgonville]

Ending with Complicated by Avril Lavigne. It's worth coming here for the music.

[@fadetounforgiven]

@@princeofgonville you're right! I didn't pay any attention and yes, that's it.

[@guiwald]

I love discovering new channels like that :) I arrived to this video first but didn't want to get too much spoil on the first episode so watched it first. Thanks ​ @The Tim Traveller that's good craic :D

[@mehmetalipasa]

I love your videos mate, they make me smile always.

[@MarkW_]

Haha, the 'transport tycoon' style music around 1:30 is a nice touch!

[@love_kuroko]

Korea's seoul line 4 has a similar thing too difference being that ours is 3-dimensional and also switches power voltage at the same time.

[@tugatomskanimation6370]

Great video as always! Also, kudos for using the Transport Tycoon videogame theme at 1:22!

[@MalachiTheBowlingGod]

This is the kind of quality content that keeps me coming back for more!

[@lmvlmv]

Question Time theme into titles Transport Tycoon theme One way or the other - Blondie Entry of the Gladiators (Circus Music) Complicated - Avril Lavigne Did I miss any?

[@TheTimTraveller]

Spot on I think

[@neildaanderson]

This is exactly what I came here looking for, thank-you Leon!

[@cannotbeleftblank6027]

In the future, whenever I am working on a project and some manager decides to put in some ridiculous feature that nobody asked for but they want anyway because... well, just because, I will show them this video and then ask: "Are you sure?"

[@andyjamesmciver]

Another video about things I never knew I wanted to know about... fantastic!!

[@volkris]

I am eager to watch another video about all the crazy stuff you left out!

[@ubergeekian]

The Edinburgh tram system and Charleroi Metro should be twinned.

[@violeteclipse3912]

underrated comment

[@flitsertheo]

Edinburgh is even worse. They had a decent tram network. Until 1956. Then they replaced it by buses. The (re-) construction of the new network was such a shambles that - if I'm not mistaken - only half of the planned lines were constructed.

[@alexandergrofics1885]

The Antwerp metro system has a nice history as well. They dug a lot of tunnels... then only used part of it.

[@harrowiersma]

we have a similar situation in Zürich Switzerland - where the trams use a certain part of the never build underground line ... great story as well.

[@georgebattrick2365]

But you also have two train/tram systems on different voltages sharing the same track, so there are two sets of overhead wires, one has its pantographs in the middle and the other has its hanging off one side.

[@marrvyn]

@@georgebattrick2365 indeed, the Uetliberg train. Utterly weird concept, but works fine.

[@johnyrc08]

Fantastic vid as always, big props for the Transport Tycoon Deluxe music!

[@tdtm82]

I forwarded it to my pal in Belgie, also called Tim, who found this absolutely hilarious! Thanks for another gem, Tim!

[@daandanx]

4:58 You always take and remake the perfect songs for background music! Every piece gives off a subtle, yet fitting message

[@radagastwiz]

Good old Avril! Always appreciate Canadian content.

[@MyLateralThawts]

Sorry Tim, I can’t describe how things are in Charleroi in the 2030’s, but you really have to try this delicious Soylent Green when it comes out in the near future. Yummy!

[@DaedalusYoung]

What's it made of?

[@MyLateralThawts]

@@DaedalusYoung they won’t tell us, other than that it’s a rich source of protein.

[@DaedalusYoung]

@@MyLateralThawts Ok, well, as long as it's sustainable.

[@Xezlec]

Soylent Green has been out for a while now. It's delicious actually. Mint chocolate!

[@AnyoneCanSee]

2:38 - "One way or another" Blondie. I do love it when you select music that matches the video content.

[@icegiant1000]

I like the quick addition of a piano version of "So complicated" at the end, a well deserved tip of my hat to you sir.

[@Krizar]

This was exactly the question I had on my mind, well done Tim for satisfying our curiosity!

[@whatatypicaltime2412]

The transport tycoon soundtracks 😍😍

[@TheGreatSteve]

I always turned off the music.

[@AquilaSornoAranion]

The choice of music is spot on! 👍

[@hessanscounty3592]

The closing song gave me a chuckle. Good choice!

[@adrianrutterford762]

Yeaaaahhh. More Tim!! Excellent!!

[@bernardvandevandel]

I live in Charleroi. I'm keen on trams, metros and trains ... I do confirm that what is showed and told in this video is totally true.

[@simonlacorneille8822]

Ha ! another fellow citizen ! :D

[@alexpetrov3289]

Fun fact, in Vienna two of the lines do this too - Tram Line 26 at Gewerbepark Stadlau Station and Tram Line 25 at Donalspital U station. It was such a treat to see this and wonder why but when you see it working, its genius. (The trams in Vienna only have doors on the right)

[@sushifornico]

One thing I love about your videos are those piano tracks -) One or another - love it

[@rileycoyote4924]

Never thought I'd hear a piano version of one way or another on a video talking about Belgium metro systems.

[@PMX]

And a piano version of Avril Lavigne's Complicated at the end 😅 ( 5:21 )

[@KyrilPG]

I do love Belgium for all its weird quirks and its music... Feels like everything in this country, from government to transportation, was done on a Monday morning after a weekend long of parties and after parties in the legendary Belgian mega clubs. The should pass a decree that mandates decision makers to fully come down from whatever they took during the weekend before making any decision. It would be more efficient but a lot less fun ! 🥳

[@timw.8452]

As a young man (sadly many decades ago), my first foreign assignment was in Belgium. I reached my place of employment in the middle of a rainstorm only to find that they were closed for lunch (by then almost unheard of, even in the UK). I couldn't get in. So a terrible start but by the end - several months later - I was really sorry to have to return to home. I think somehow the Belgians accept the general quirkiness, and people are modest and friendly. I'd find it difficult to find a reason to dislike Belgium, except that I think it gets even more rain than we do.

[@KyrilPG]

@@timw.8452 The Belgian weird quirkiness is adorable. I guess it can be an acquired taste for many but personally, I'm fond of it from the minute I arrived there ! (And the clubs, the music, the people and the energy). Have you seen Dikkenek ? It's a Belgian movie that sums it all > weird and great ! Can't wait to hop on a Thalys to visit my Belgian friends, it's been too long.

[@barvdw]

That's not even that far from the truth. Especially in the nineties, Hertoginnedal/Val Duchesse was famous as the retreat for some marathon meetings of the government (governments are all coalition governments, here), and infamously lasted for hours, often far into the night (and morning). So it's not too strange to think some just agreed to about anything to just have the thing over with at the end.

[@judicator375]

props for music choice! unexpected nostalgia hit.

[@rowboat8343]

Perfect choice of closing music 🎶 🎵 👌

[@djhakase]

Thank you, Squizie3! The shenanigans of bureaucrats are a personal joy; schaudenfreude of sorts, I think.

[@Dumbo8234]

5:25 is that a piano cover of "Complicated" by Avril Lavigne?

[@HenrysAdventures]

Thanks for explaining the reason for the crossover. Talking on trams with doors on one side, it seems like a good idea as you get more seats in but can get complicated when it comes to single track running. An example of this is Osijek in Croatia. Route 1 has two tracks through but Route 2 is main single track and runs on one side of the road. At passing places the trams have to go to right hand running with an island platform on the stops and stops on the signal track you need a platform on each side. You also need a loop at the end of each route rather than just a buffer stop.

[@pitabread79]

Fantastic piano cover selection, as always

[@txtoolfan]

i can't overstate how much I really enjoy your channel Tim.

[@DaveTexas]

It’s 2052 and Line 5 still isn’t open... they considered using it as a path for hoverbikes back in 2037 but the TEC was unwilling to remove the old overhead power lines and hoverbikers kept getting their hair fried off.

[@MercenaryPen]

it clearly didn't help that some of the hoverbikers retrofitted pantographs to their hoverbikes to power them from the overhead power lines

[@wolfmathes5684]

Lots of love for the openttd soundtrack

[@yoearth]

Props for the immediate feelings of nostalgia with the Transport Tycoon music :)

[@MexicanHatBoy]

Oh cool, this is super interesting. The Zürich tramway does something similar for getting the trams to open their doors on the correct side in the underground tunnels, where the platforms are between the two tracks. Apparently the tunnels were built for an abandoned (because direct democracy) U-bahn project so they just ended up using them for trams.

[@douglasboyle6544]

OH MY GOD That's so EFFING BONKERS! I'm surprised they managed to end up operating on the same gauge. Regardless, once again a wonderful video and as always your community is wonderful as well. The comments section of your videos is always a source of great additional information, tips, and stories. ❤

[@siriusczech]

its something cost efficient, standard gauge vehicles cost less ;)

[@douglasboyle6544]

@@siriusczech I don't think cost efficiency ever entered their mind. That also doesn't stop some systems from not operating on a standard gauge even today.

[@hedgehog3180]

Don't give the more ideas about things to bicker about.

[@elvinhaak]

Well, the gauge of the belgium tramways have been changed several times, each city at different times and even mixed in the same cities for a long time... leading to many struggles in both Antwerp and Gent that I have read about. Probably the same for the other cities. Trams were also connecting to the 'surroundings of the cities' and thus between cities all over the country till around the first and partly second worldwar to make these things extra complicated with some ingenius systems at some places to make mixed types of vehicles possible. And then of course even the combination with trains at some places. Don't forget the complex ways the canals were (and some are) run for the ships and clean or dirty water...

[@douglasboyle6544]

@rgmotnal I knew there were still some crazy cases out there, I had no idea Australia was so odd though.

[@myxomorsky]

Hello from Kyiv! Your content is amazing)

[@MesaperProductions]

Ya gotta love it when your content makes more content.

[@GHOST-hf4fi]

Ahahah you could base your entire channel on Belgium with all the weird stuff there is!

[@homesinternational8015]

You can have some fun in Brussels too, the Metro line 6 between Gare du Midi and Roi Baudouin runs on the left hand side - despite having doors on both sides of the carriages. That's because the line between Beekkant and Roi Baudouin has a "reverse line". The former line 1A metros coming from Hermann-Debroux would, after Etangs Noirs, turn to the South, stop at Beekkant and reverse out of the station. I still remember the agonizing wait while the driver had to walk to the other end of his train. To avoid crossovers, the trains would simply stay on the left hand side. When the network was rearranged, due to signaling issues, they had to keep it that way, and the newly built part of line 6 between Beekkant and Gare du Midi was then designed for left hand side driving, the crossover happening at Gare du Midi where each side stops at a different level.

[@jonas498]

I absolutely love that you used the Transport Tycoon Music!

[@terencechengde]

nicely done! thank you!

[@josephj9828]

Every time Tim does a video in Belgium, I'm just going to expect him to insert the scene from Scary Movie of Shawn Wayans saying "But wait! There's more!"

[@galier2]

Trains need to crossover. You should visit the gare de bifurcation d'Onville where the French trains (in France trains run on the left lane) crosses over to the German system (trains run on the right side). As the Moselle and Alsace railways were built during the annexation betweenn 1870 and1918, they follow the German rule. When they were connected to the French network, it was easier to build a swapping station than to convert the whole thing. A swapping station would in any case be needed for international traffic anyways.

[@ft4709]

Is that one a level crossover or is it grade seperated? I can only recall the LGV Est‘s crossover which is kinda awesome.

[@OpenbaarVervoer2D]

Same between, Belgium and The Netherlands, where they have fly overs for trains to switch sides. Although almost all European countries people drive on the right on roads, but trains in some countries drive on the left, because English engineers (helped) install(ed) the rails over a century ago in those countries.

[@elvinhaak]

@@OpenbaarVervoer2D not mentioning the special changes for the different voltages between Belgium and Netherlands and the communication/safety-systems to keep things simple... ;-) Having trains that can only run on half a rail on platform 1 on Roosendaal... just because...

[@chagrined4days]

I cracked up at your outro music, gr8 choice 😂

[@teecefamilykent]

Love the animations on your videos lol.

[@haardkaar]

Is the music at 01:50 onwards from Transport Tyccon? Sounds familiar.

[@henrikhyrup3995]

Kudos to you for using music from Transport Tycoon from 1:25 :)

[@ulrichzander2317]

Awesome video again, extra points for the OTTD music!

[@CMDRSweeper]

Ah at 1:22 you made my heart smile.... OpenTTD music, from their own music repo! PERFECTION!

[@PTB_BE]

To be honest: I never expected to have my knowledge be useful. Thanks for mentioning me and yes: the Charleroi regional network has a lot more stories to tell 😅

[@kaanerdem2822]

You should keep telling these stories so maybe trough the awarenesds he creates the opening Schedule could speed up a bit :)

[@ricardor6388]

Tim, your videos are a delight, I'm a Belgian living in Ostbelgien, and I love for you to show me all these things around my area like it's something out of this world. Great videos !!!

[@flitsertheo]

The Djerman speakers of our country. Nobody ever mentions them, nobody ever hears them, yet they exist.

[@RickyLeong]

The outro tune is perfect! 😊

[@LasseVagstherKarlsen]

Love the little details, like the background music from Transport Tychoon :)

[@JagoHazzard]

Hello, I'm from the future. The good news is that the line was indeed opened in 2026. The bad news is that due to an unresolved software malfunction, the trains became self-aware in 2028. They rose up against humanity and now they roam the cities in search of the one they call "the Fakkontolah."

[@TrevorMoses312]

😆

[@slowshop]

They are still arguing about it. Last I heard was they plan to open in 2046.

[@ztmsl]

Ah, excellent 'pointing' this out. I already wondered why you didn't mention this in your last video. I guess 'switching' to a separate video is a wise thing. Thanks as always.

[@chrismckay8349]

Another cracking soundtrack by Tim.

[@no_rubbernecking]

All i could think when i saw you zoom in on the crossover was: Wot on Earth is _that?_ And what kind of _clearly RIDICULOUS_ backstory gave rise to it?

[@TheTimTraveller]

Haha sometimes I think I should use that as the intro for every single one of my videos

[@no_rubbernecking]

@@TheTimTraveller Lol not a bad a idea

[@nikollor]

In the 60s there were two large companies operating public transport in Charleroi. **Chris Sawyer's '94 Transport Tycoon OST starts playing** The Easter egg is simply amazing, it’s strange that no one noticed it =)

[@AaronOfMpls]

He's used it in some other videos about rail and transit lines, too. 😀

[@fin720s]

lol love the use of the question time theme

[@StarLiteNL]

I am digging the Transport Tycoon style music at the start, brings back some good memories 😄