HSL 1
| Company type | Rail infrastructure |
|---|---|
| Industry | Rail transport |
| Founded | December 14, 1997 |
| Headquarters | Belgium |
Area served | Belgium, France |
| Products | High-speed rail services |
The HSL 1 (, ) represents a high-speed rail corridor linking Brussels, Belgium, with the LGV Nord at the border between Belgium and France. The total length measures , comprising dedicated high-speed tracks extending for of the route alongside of upgraded conventional lines. Operations commenced on 14 December 1997.
By dramatically shortening travel durations, HSL 1 has reduced the Paris-Brussels trip to just 1 hour and 22 minutes. In conjunction with LGV Nord, it supports cross-border high-speed train services run by Eurostar, TGV, Thalys PBA, and Thalys PBKA rolling stock, thereby improving rail connections to both France and London.
The project’s construction expenditure reached €1.42 billion. The line employs the TVM-430 signalling system within the cab, which aligns with the technology used on LGV Nord in France and High Speed 1 in the United Kingdom.
Route
Services depart from Brussels-South utilizing a viaduct finalized in 2006 that segregates high-speed operations from local train traffic. Subsequently, trains continue on the standard line 96. At Forest/Vorst, the route passes a maintenance facility servicing Thalys and Eurostar fleets. At the station of Halle (km 13), the high-speed tracks branch off into a cut-and-cover tunnel crossing the Brussels–Charleroi Canal. Further along at km 17, the line diverges at the Lembeek Viaduct, engineered for speeds up to .
Between the towns of Rebecq and Enghien, HSL 1 parallels the A8 motorway, separated by protective fencing. Approaching Enghien, it runs adjacent to the Brussels–Tournai railway for approximately .
The "Le Coucou" maintenance facility near Ath functioned as the operational headquarters throughout construction (1993–1998) and continues to serve as HSL 1’s primary maintenance center. The railway crosses the extensive long Arbre Viaduct, one of Europe’s lengthiest rail viaducts, which spans multiple waterways, roads, and railway lines between Ath and Chièvres.
At Antoing, a connecting link provides access to the Mons–Tournai route, utilized by Thalys trains operating between Paris and Namur. The line then traverses the Scheldt River Viaduct and passes through the cut-and-cover section at Bruyelle before reaching the Belgian-French frontier at Wannehain (km 88). Approximately beyond this boundary lies the Frétin triangle, where LGV Nord divides toward either Paris or Lille.