- Fare and where to buy tickets
- Metro lines
- Working hours
- History
- Peculiarities
Today, almost every major city in the world has a subway, and it can be both branched, large-scale, and very small … But sometimes the city metro is called the transport system, which, in fact, is not. One example of this is the Antwerp metro.
It would be more correct to call this transport system a city tram, but part of it runs underground, which gives it some subway features. Local residents often call the underground tram the word “pre-metro”, which is unusual for us (Russians are more familiar with the word “metrotram” - this is the name, for example, of a similar Volgograd transport system).
The Antwerp Metro, although not a real metro, is not inferior to many of those transport systems that fully correspond to this name. The metro of the Belgian city will allow you to quickly and comfortably get to almost any point in Antwerp. The rules for using this transport are very simple, which is another of its advantages.
Fare and where to buy tickets
As with most metro systems in the world, the fare on the Antwerp metro depends on how many transport zones you want to travel. If the purpose of your trip is within the two nearest transport zones, then the travel document will cost a little more than one euro. Such a ticket is valid for an hour. If you need a travel card that allows you to make a longer trip (that is, travel three zones or more), then its price will be approximately two euros. Its validity period is two hours.
You can purchase a ticket using an SMS message. Such a travel document will cost a little more (additional payment for communication services). Don't forget to buy it before you enter the subway! And this, of course, can be done only if you use the services of one of the local mobile operators.
There are several types of long-term travel documents:
- On one day;
- For a three days;
- for five days;
- for a week.
A one-day ticket can be purchased for about five euros, and for a passenger under the age of sixteen it will cost two euros less. The validity of this pass begins at the time of use and ends at about four o'clock in the morning of the following day. Tickets for three days and five days cost ten and fifteen euros, respectively. A weekly pass can be purchased for about eighteen euros; such a ticket for two people will cost thirty euros.
You can also purchase tickets that are valid for a month, three months or even a year. However, visitors to the city are rarely interested in these types of passes, as tourists' stays in Antwerp are usually limited to shorter periods. The cost of these passes is approximately thirty to two hundred euros.
It is not difficult to buy tickets: in this respect, in Antwerp, everything is exactly the same as in other major cities of the world, that is, you have a choice between a ticket machine and a ticket office. The machines are visible from afar, as they are painted in a bright yellow color. They accept both cash and credit cards.
For children who have not yet reached the age of six, travel in the city metro is free.
Metro lines
The Antwerp metro system (more precisely, the tram) consists of fourteen lines. Part of the tracks runs along city streets, the other part is laid underground. Thanks to this underground part, the transport system is called the city metro.
The track width is one thousand millimeters. Earlier (before reconstruction) the track was wider.
Relatively recently, successful tests of new formulations, called "megatram", were carried out. These are trains over sixty meters long, which can carry up to five hundred passengers. The use of these trains should significantly increase the throughput of those sections of the transport system that are located underground.
There are plans to turn the pre-metro into a full-fledged metro. The implementation of these plans is a matter for the near future. However, many tourists and locals believe that the Antwerp Metro Tram perfectly performs the functions of public transport and does not need any changes.
Working hours
The Antwerp tram begins its work at four thirty minutes in the morning. The transport system works until 1 am.
During peak traffic hours, the interval between trams is four to six minutes. The rest of the time the tram has to wait much longer: the interval of movement is from eight to fifteen minutes.
History
We can say that the history of the Antwerp metro (or rather, the tram) begins in the 70s of the XIX century. Then the first horse trams (horse trams) appeared in the city. In the 80s of the named century, nine lines of this transport were opened, they were operated by eight different companies.
The decision to electrify the transport system was made in the early years of the 20th century. At the same time, the reconstruction of tram tracks was planned.
The tracks for the new tram were laid along the former omnibus route. A temporary power station was installed in the depot, to which a contact network was connected. After several successful test runs of the electric tram, its regular operation began. For some time, both new electric trams and old horse-drawn trams could be seen on city streets. But this did not last long: soon horse trams became the property of history forever.
The first underground section of the transport system (that is, directly metro) opened in the mid-70s of the XX century.
Peculiarities
It is forbidden to enter the metro on roller skates, but you can enter it with a bicycle. Smoking is prohibited in the metro.
You will not see any turnstiles at the entrance: tickets must be applied to the validator directly in the carriage.
The design of the stations does not differ in originality: everything is very simple and laconic. The walls of some stations are covered with graffiti, which, unfortunately, are far from always pleasing to the eye and are a decoration of the subway. Plasma panels built into the walls show commercials. All stations are equipped with lifts (for passengers with disabilities), as well as escalators.
All signs and signs in the Antwerp metro are bilingual, French and Belgian. However, if you do not know any of the named languages, you will still be able to find your way around the metro. It is enough to know the name of the station you need and carefully study the map of the transport system before traveling.
Be careful: trams that follow different routes may arrive at the same station. If you go in the wrong direction, getting back on track can be challenging.
In general, the Antwerp metro does not differ in any exotic features or unusual rules of use. Although the trams running underground are already quite an extraordinary sight in themselves and make a great impression on many tourists.
Official website: www.delijn.be/en/index.htm
Antwerp Metro
