Vicinal Tramway

Vicinal Tramway

The Tramways vicinaux or Buurtspoorwegen were a system of narrow gauge tramways or local railways in Belgium, which covered the whole country and had a greater route length than the mainline railway system. They were metre gauge and the system included electrified city lines as well as rural lines using steam locomotives and diesel railcars; half of the system was electrified.

Only the coastal line, the Charleroi metro and the short line to the caves at Han-sur-Lesse are still in commercial use; four museums hold significant collections of former SNCV/NMVB rolling stock, including the museum at Schepdaal and the ASVi museum in Thuin.

The longest (11.0 km) and oldest (40 years) touristic tramway is the Tramway Touristique de l'Aisne, or 'TTA'. The line runs between Erezée and Dochamps. A sponsoring group called 'Tramania' has supported various tramway preservation initiatives for 13 years - and has in particular financed the construction of the Thuin museum and car restoration for TTA.