Line 50A Works: The Lichtervelde Detour
Verfasst: Sa Jul 11, 2026 1:43 am
Line 50A is undergoing construction work between Brugge and Gent Sint Pieters. The tracks between Brugge and Gent Sint Pieters are closed all day due to major track expansion and renewal work to double the line from 2 to 4 tracks. Because of the heavy work and the laying of new switches, the sector around the Aalter signal box is completely closed, meaning it is not possible to send any traffic through the normal route.
All through IC and freight traffic must be manually diverted via Lichtervelde. The IC Oostende Antwerpen, IC Oostende Eupen, IC Blankenberge Genk, IC Hasselt Brussels Airport, and IC Oostende lines are being diverted from Brugge via Line 66 to Lichtervelde, continuing over Line 73 through Tielt to Deinze, and joining Line 75 through De Pinte into Gent Sint Pieters. Diverted trains are running frequently via this alternative route and regular local traffic native to Lines 66, 73, and 75 holds absolute priority over these diverted "guest" trains. If a regular local train or commuter IC is running on schedule, it must not be delayed by a diverted train. Diverted traffic must yield at single track bottlenecks or station loops. (Unless it is possible for the regional dispatchers to dynamically clear a path through the bottlenecks without impacting local timetables, in which case they would not necessarily have to yield).
The local Zeebrugge Gent Mechelen trains are also severely affected by the blockage at Aalter. (Unless it is possible to prematurely terminate these local trains at Brugge station so they can turn around early instead of continuing their regular journey towards Gent, in which case they would not necessarily have to occupy the diversion routes). Due to the complete rail standstill on the normal axis, a rail replacement bus service is operating between Brugge and Gent Sint Pieters to serve all the intermediate local stations along Line 50A. There is also a strict rush hour protocol underway as the session heads into the afternoon peak hours, meaning local P trains take absolute precedence to prevent total network gridlock. Heavy traffic on the diversion lines because of the mega project whould have expected anything different?
Affected signal boxes:
Zeebrugge (Optional)
Brugge
Lichtervelde
Oudenaarde
Merelbeke/De Pinte
Gent Sint Pieters
if needed you can add other optional neigbouring signalboxes
Playing time: 4 hours or more
Desired instance: The instance that runs during the rush hours
Date and time: Thursday, July 23, 2026 at 13:00 CEST (Belgium Time)
Type of communication: Chat
All through IC and freight traffic must be manually diverted via Lichtervelde. The IC Oostende Antwerpen, IC Oostende Eupen, IC Blankenberge Genk, IC Hasselt Brussels Airport, and IC Oostende lines are being diverted from Brugge via Line 66 to Lichtervelde, continuing over Line 73 through Tielt to Deinze, and joining Line 75 through De Pinte into Gent Sint Pieters. Diverted trains are running frequently via this alternative route and regular local traffic native to Lines 66, 73, and 75 holds absolute priority over these diverted "guest" trains. If a regular local train or commuter IC is running on schedule, it must not be delayed by a diverted train. Diverted traffic must yield at single track bottlenecks or station loops. (Unless it is possible for the regional dispatchers to dynamically clear a path through the bottlenecks without impacting local timetables, in which case they would not necessarily have to yield).
The local Zeebrugge Gent Mechelen trains are also severely affected by the blockage at Aalter. (Unless it is possible to prematurely terminate these local trains at Brugge station so they can turn around early instead of continuing their regular journey towards Gent, in which case they would not necessarily have to occupy the diversion routes). Due to the complete rail standstill on the normal axis, a rail replacement bus service is operating between Brugge and Gent Sint Pieters to serve all the intermediate local stations along Line 50A. There is also a strict rush hour protocol underway as the session heads into the afternoon peak hours, meaning local P trains take absolute precedence to prevent total network gridlock. Heavy traffic on the diversion lines because of the mega project whould have expected anything different?
Affected signal boxes:
Zeebrugge (Optional)
Brugge
Lichtervelde
Oudenaarde
Merelbeke/De Pinte
Gent Sint Pieters
if needed you can add other optional neigbouring signalboxes
Playing time: 4 hours or more
Desired instance: The instance that runs during the rush hours
Date and time: Thursday, July 23, 2026 at 13:00 CEST (Belgium Time)
Type of communication: Chat