The coastal streetcar... (Belgium)

December 11, 20255308 Views Belgian Coast, West Flanders 5 min read

On the Belgian coast (67 kilometers long) runs the (second ?) longest tramway in the world. The very first coastal tramway opened as early as 1885, with steam streetcars. Then, in 1897, the first electric line opened. The rest gradually followed, and only in 1929 was the entire De Panne - Knokke Zoute line electric. There are no less than 68 stops (between Adinkerke/De Panne to Knokke-Heist). This line thus connects (quasi) France with the Netherlands. The total journey takes about 2 hours and 20 minutes, without changing trains. One of the most comfortable ways to travel along the Belgian coast.

A factoid (info provided by one of our attentive readers, among others): until June 2023, the Coastal Tram indeed carried the title of "longest tramway in the world." However, in that year this position would have been taken over by the A Line of the Los Angeles Metro Rail system in the United States, which with a length of 71 kilometers surpassed the Coastal Tram by four kilometers. However: if we want to be 100% exact, we should consider the latter as a subway rather than a streetcar , and thus the Belgian remains the longest tramway in the world 😉.

In any case, the Belgian Coastal Tramway is and remains unique as the longest single, meter gauge tramway in the world, serving (almost) an entire coastline without changing trains. It is also one of the few interurban streetcar lines still operational.

Worth experiencing anyway!

Did you know that.. . a streetcar always has the right of way, even on the crosswalk. Otherwise: serious accidents. Be especially careful when crossing streetcar tracks: these are critical points.

*Coastal streetcar accident in De Panne on May 18, 2025.*

Did you know... you can have a coastal streetcar completely wrapped with your own advertising material ("full wrap" is what this is called)? You pay about 100,000 EUR to advertise on a coastal streetcar for 3 months.

Internet information from and about the coastal streetcar

Passengers using the coastal tram: 12.1 million (2008), 15 million (2016) – more recent figures have not been published. Currently, the line carries around 12 million passengers per year. During the two summer months, the coastal tram can carry up to 4 million passengers.

Official website about the Belgian coastal tram (De Lijn).
Route planner of De Lijn.
Website about advertising on coastal trams (full wraps, for example, etc.).
Wikipedia page about the Coastal Tram.
Documentary about the Belgian tram on French television TF1 (6 minutes).
More information about the Coastal Tram on Wikisage.

Our photos about the coastal streetcar

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