So, you have arrived or are going to come to the Belgian capital. NATO’s “Native Penates” is a very beautiful, colorful city with a motley crowd, and the metro here is also quite contrasting. Some stations are just works of art, while others are full of unhappy homeless people who make tent camps and cardboard beds here.
The metro lines are closely connected with other public transport and the railway of the Belgian capital.
Important
To avoid a penalty, a ticket to the Brussels metro must be validated and saved until the end of the trip. There are turnstiles everywhere, it is often possible to meet controllers checking the availability of tickets at the exit.
General about the scheme
The Brussels metro is represented by four lines of the standard metro and three lines of the lung (premetro). M1, M2, M5 and M6 are the main lines, they have a total length of 49.9 kilometers. The number of stations is 59, the last of which was commissioned in 2009. Today, the construction of new subway lines continues.
In addition to them, three tram lines - T3, T4 and T7 partially pass underground, and they say that they will soon be assigned to the main network of the "subway". Light metro stations are similar in design to the main stations in Brussels. The total length of all paths is 52 kilometers.
Since its opening in 1969, the first two lines were operated as underground trams, and after 8 years they were transformed into the subway. Some sectors are located outdoors.
Description
In addition to the photo, we give a verbal description of the metro scheme in Brussels:
- 1 line - lies east of Brussels from the Gare de l'Ouest / Weststation to Stockel / Stokkel.
- 2 ring line, Simonis - station of the beginning and end.
- Line 5 goes southeast from the southwest station of Erasme to Herrmann-Debroux.
- Line 6 runs from Roi Baudouin to the northwest to Simonis, on the segment of the route, which is duplicated with line 2, passes through the ring.
Realities and plans
Since 2016, lines 1 and 5 have been fully automated. A new direction will soon appear on the metro scheme of Brussels - from the North Station to the Sharbek commune. The project is spelled out in the city plan for the coming years.
Brussels Metro Tickets
In the "chocolate" capital of Europe, the principle of a single tariff for the metro, bus or tram on the same route applies. Which is very convenient. The same ticket is valid on the bus, metro and tram.
One-way fare is 1.8 euros, if you are traveling with large luggage, then 2 euros. Tickets are valid for an hour. During this period, you can make any number of transfers for all types of public transport. The cost of a two-way ticket for the day is 3.5 euros. Five trips will cost 7.5 euros. A package of 10 tickets costs 13 euros.
The fare for 1 day is 6 euros. This ticket is valid all day until the end of the subway. Children under 6 years old enjoy the right of free travel, but always accompanied by adults. If the child is from 6 to 11 years old, you can buy a J-ticket with which he can travel by public transport for free (only a refundable security deposit of 5 euros is payable).
MOBIB Card
In Belgium, there is a system of transport cards with the ability to save on travel.
These are MOBIB cards that cost 5 euros with a validity period of 5 years. They are sold at GO machines, BOOTIK or KIOSK kiosks. You can buy them online. So what does MOBIB offer:
- JUMP for 1 trip, worth 2.1 euros. One change, including on buses De Lijn.
- JUMP for 4.2 euros for a round-trip trip for a day with the possibility of a transfer.
- JUMP for 1 day - 7.5 euros, for 2 days - 14 euros or 3 days - 18 euros.
Buying a ticket without a MOBIB card
You can buy one-time tickets in a ticket machine or in a tram and bus. Cost - 2.1-2.5 euros. You can ride on them as much as you want in terms of the number of stops and time of movement, but you can’t change trains on one ticket - buy a second ticket. What else to buy without a card:
- A 24-hour STIB ticket worth 7.5 euros, with an unlimited number of trips and areas of operation.
- A ticket to the airport for 4.5 or 6 euros (cost in the machine or in transport).
- If you have a SNCB train pass for rail travel, you can make an additional purchase - a pass for any type of transport will cost 4.2 euros, not 4.5.
Working hours
Metro services can be used from 05:30 to 24:00, on Saturday and Sunday - from 6 in the morning. Lines No. 3 and No. 4 open for passengers from 05:00. The range of motion of the compositions lies in the range from 6 to 10 minutes. After 23:00 it increases to 20 minutes.
De Brouckere, Gare du Midi - metro station and train station at night - not the safest places in the city, try to take the bus or tram better, it’s convenient, as many stops are duplicated. As you can see, the metro scheme of Brussels is simple, and the metro itself is no different from other cities in Europe.