This is Charleroi's infamous disused light rail line. A metro line partially built in the 1980s and never operated for over 40 years. It has to be said that Charleroi had thought a little too big.
In the 60s, the city began developing a light rail project for all its inhabitants, aimed at modernizing public transport in the industrial region. The result was 7 lines radiating out from a central axis, with 69 stations and 52km of track. The first section was inaugurated in 1976, and others were to follow in the years that followed, but the project came to an end well before the initial objectives, with only 3 lines operational.
Four new stations on a new section were completed and ready for use in 1986. These were the Neuville, Chet, Pensée and Centenaire stations on the line intended to link the central loop of Charleroi, from its Waterloo station, to Montignies-sur-Sambre. The line was due to be further extended, but work was halted due to lack of funding. The four existing stations were abandoned, and future stations remained unbuilt, with the beginning of the route unfinished. Only three of these abandoned stations are featured in this photo report.
Charleroi's "ghost metro" will join the list of Belgium's Great Unnecessary Works until 2023, when the project is revived thanks to subsidies from a European stimulus package. Since then, the line has been undergoing renovation/construction and is due to open in 2026, with a total of 9 stops.
ℹ️ Current status: under construction
