Tram systems in Ghent
Ghent is the capital and largest city of the Belgian province of East Flanders. It developed around the confluence of the rivers Scheldt and Leie and became one of the largest and wealthiest cities in medieval Europe.
The city's prosperity was historically associated with the production and trading of woollen cloth. Its surviving medieval buildings include the Gravensteen castle, Saint Bavo's Cathedral, the Belfry of Ghent and the guild houses lining Graslei and Korenlei.
Modern Ghent is an important university, cultural and industrial centre. Ghent University is one of Belgium's largest universities, while the Port of Ghent forms part of the cross-border North Sea Port extending through the canal towards Terneuzen in the Netherlands.
Gent-Sint-Pieters is the city's principal railway station and is served by frequent trains to Brussels, Antwerp, Bruges, Kortrijk and other Belgian destinations. Gent-Dampoort provides a second important station to the east of the city centre.
Urban buses and trams are operated by De Lijn, the public transport operator for Flanders. Regional bus routes connect Ghent with surrounding towns and villages, while integrated City Pass tickets can be used on participating De Lijn and SNCB/NMBS services within Ghent.
Cycling also plays a particularly important role in the city's transport system. Much of the historic centre forms part of a restricted-traffic area, and several park-and-ride sites provide connections with tram or bus services.
Ghent has a metre-gauge electric tram network operated by De Lijn. The system combines street-running through the historic centre with reserved tracks on several outer sections. Services are normally organised as four routes numbered T1, T2, T3 and T4, and the fleet consists principally of HermeLijn and longer Albatros low-floor trams.
Major construction projects currently require substantial temporary changes. From 14 September 2026, line T1 operates between Flanders Expo and Gentbrugge Stelplaats via Gent-Sint-Pieters, Kouter, Zuid and Keizerpoort rather than continuing through Ledeberg to Moscou.
Line T2 operates between Melle Leeuw and a temporary terminus near Van Beverenplein because the route towards Wondelgem and Evergem is being reconstructed. Line T3 is suspended until approximately May 2027, with replacement bus P3 serving the route between Gent-Sint-Pieters and Zwijnaarde. Line T4 continues to serve the northern part of its route but is temporarily shortened and does not reach the university hospital.
These arrangements are temporary and will change as the different construction projects progress. Current details are available from De Lijn.
Ghent's first horse-drawn tramway opened on 24 May 1874. The initial route connected Gent-Zuid railway station with Korenmarkt and was subsequently extended towards Dampoort. It formed the beginning of a network operated by Les Tramways de la Ville de Gand.
Further routes were opened as the city expanded, and the network eventually comprised seven horse-tram lines. The original tracks were built to standard gauge, and both open and enclosed cars were provided for passengers.
Two operating companies controlled the network by the end of the nineteenth century. They were brought together in 1898 through the establishment of the Tramways Électriques de Gand, which was given responsibility for modernising the system.
Ghent initially attempted to introduce electric traction without installing overhead wires through its historic streets. Battery-powered trams began operating in 1899, with the batteries charged at a specially constructed generating station.
The accumulator vehicles proved unreliable and operationally expensive. Their limited range and heavy batteries made them unsuitable for the expanding network, and the decision was therefore taken to install conventional overhead electrification.
The first overhead-powered trams entered service in 1904. The network was also converted from standard gauge to metre gauge, establishing the technical arrangement that remains in use today.
Route numbers were introduced in 1906. Eight electric tram routes were operating by 1914, and the network expanded to ten principal lines during the 1920s.
The tramway remained an essential part of transport in Ghent during both world wars, although vehicles and infrastructure suffered from limited maintenance and shortages of materials.
The Tramways Électriques de Gand was replaced by the municipally controlled Maatschappij voor Intercommunaal Vervoer te Gent (MIVG) in 1961. At that time, eleven tram routes were still operating.
Growing car ownership and the expansion of bus services brought rapid contraction during the 1960s and early 1970s. Routes were progressively shortened, converted to buses or abandoned. By 1973, only four tram lines remained.
Fifty-four PCC trams were delivered to Ghent between 1971 and 1974. These modern, high-capacity vehicles replaced the ageing two- and three-axle cars, some of which had been operating in various rebuilt forms for several decades.
The arrival of the PCC fleet helped secure the future of the remaining tramway at a time when complete replacement by buses was still possible. The last of the older three-axle cars were withdrawn from regular service in 1974.
Plans were considered during the 1970s for a more extensively segregated light-rail or premetro network. These proposals were not implemented, and Ghent instead continued developing its conventional street tramway.
MIVG became part of the newly established Flemish public transport operator De Lijn in 1991. The following decades brought renewed investment after the long period of contraction.
The route to Melle Leeuw opened in 1993, restoring tram service to an area that had lost it during the earlier closures. A short tunnel and underground tram stop beneath Gent-Sint-Pieters station opened in June 1996, improving interchange between trains, trams and buses.
The network reached Zwijnaardebrug in 1999. The first HermeLijn low-floor trams entered service around the same time, introducing step-free boarding on a growing proportion of journeys.
Line 1 was extended to the Flanders Expo complex in April 2005. Longer Albatros trams began operating in Ghent in 2015, providing additional capacity on the busiest routes.
Two further extensions opened during 2016. The branch to Ghent University Hospital entered service in March, while trams reached the centre of Zwijnaarde in November.
Lines 21 and 22 were combined into a single line 2 in May 2017, simplifying services between Zwijnaarde, the city centre and Melle.
A more extensive reorganisation took place on 6 January 2024. The three previous tram lines were replaced by four routes numbered T1 to T4. The new structure redistributed the outer branches between different cross-city services and introduced line T3 between Zwijnaarde and Moscou.
The reorganisation coincided with the closure of the direct tram route between Gent-Sint-Pieters and Korenmarkt through the Petercelle axis. Lines serving the station were diverted through alternative streets while the long-term reconstruction programme progressed.
Further changes followed in January and September 2026 as construction affected the routes to Evergem, Zwijnaarde, the university hospital, Ledeberg and Moscou.
Construction around Sint-Pietersaalststraat and Ledeberg requires another temporary network from 14 September 2026.
Line T3 is suspended completely, with replacement bus P3 connecting Gent-Sint-Pieters with Zwijnaarde. The tram is expected to return during May 2027. Line T4 is temporarily shortened away from the university hospital, while line T1 is diverted to Gentbrugge Stelplaats rather than operating through Ledeberg to Moscou.
The exact restoration of each route will depend on progress with the associated track and road works. Further information about the temporary arrangements is available from Gent op Weg.
The Petercelle axis forms the traditional direct tram route between Gent-Sint-Pieters, Veldstraat and Korenmarkt. Tram services over the corridor were suspended in January 2024 to allow preparatory utility work and the reconstruction of the surrounding streets.
The project covers approximately 1.5 kilometres through Kortrijksepoortstraat, Verlorenkost, Nederkouter, Ketelpoort, Veldstraat and adjoining streets. It includes replacement of tram tracks, sewers, road surfaces and pavements together with reconstruction of Ketelbrug.
Stops will be rebuilt with raised platforms capable of accommodating Ghent's longer trams. Public spaces will also receive new planting, street furniture and improved facilities for pedestrians and cyclists.
The principal road, sewer and track works began on 13 April 2026 and are being delivered in 22 separate construction zones. Completion is currently expected during 2029, after which direct tram services should be able to return between Gent-Sint-Pieters and Korenmarkt. Further information is available from the City of Ghent.
The northern section of line T2 is undergoing a separate programme of utility, sewer, road and tram-track renewal.
The first phase reconstructed tracks and roads around Gebroeders de Smetstraat and Guislainstraat during 2025. This allowed trams to return from Rabot to a temporary stop near Van Beverenplein in January 2026.
The section between Van Beverenplein, Wondelgem and Evergem remains closed during the second phase. Extensive work on utilities, sewers, tram tracks and road surfaces is expected to continue until the end of 2028. Buses and local trains provide alternative connections while the tram is suspended. Further information is available from Gent op Weg.
Gentspoort is a major transport and urban-renewal project that will construct approximately seven kilometres of new tramway and reorganise several important road junctions.
A new line 7 is planned between Gent-Sint-Pieters and Gent-Dampoort. It will initially use existing tracks from Gent-Sint-Pieters to Parkplein before following a new alignment through the Heuvelpoort area, Gent-Zuid and Kasteellaan to Dampoort.
Line 4 will also be extended to Gent-Dampoort. New tracks will continue from Tolpoort along Muidelaan and the docks, creating a direct tram connection between the northern districts and Dampoort railway station. The existing route through Voormuide will remain served by another tram service approaching from Sint-Salvatorstraat.
Gentspoort also includes major reconstruction at Heuvelpoort, Neuseplein and the Dampoort station area, together with improvements for buses, pedestrians and cyclists. Road traffic will be placed below ground at Heuvelpoort and Dampoort to provide additional surface space for public transport and public areas.
The project's preliminary design was approved in July 2026. Environmental assessment, detailed design, land acquisition and the appointment of a construction consortium are expected to continue through 2027 and 2028. Major construction is not expected to begin before 2029, and no reliable opening date is currently available. Further information is available from Gentspoort.