2023-09-05 19:23:00
Some skeptics will say they’ll believe it when they see it. Last July, the good news fell: France and Belgium agreed to open a rail link between Brussels and Paris, with a stopover in Mons. The future line would connect the stations of Schaerbeek and Paris-Nord, stopping at the stations of Brussels-Central, Brussels-Midi, Brussels-North and Mons, but also, in France, Creil and Aulnoy-Aimeries.
First, the deadline of December 2024 was announced. The Federal Minister for Mobility, Georges Gilkinet (Ecolo), has however suggested bringing forward the inauguration of the line so that it can be put into service from the summer of 2024 and the Paris Olympic Games. Excellent news for commuters, who might thus take advantage of a classic line, several times a day, between Paris and Brussels.
As a reminder, this train would operate with Belgian equipment and might accommodate between 600 and 700 passengers. A little over two hours would be needed to connect Mons and Paris. It will certainly not be the fastest rail link, but it will at least have the merit of offering a real alternative to users, currently forced to go to Brussels, Lille, Maubeuge or Valenciennes to board the France.
Also beneficial to cross-border workers
The price should be below that of the TGV. The precise timetables, the price and the number of daily trains have yet to be specified and refined by the SNCF and the SNCB. However, according to the French transport regulator, these trains might leave Brussels for Paris at 6:52 a.m., 9:40 a.m., 1:40 p.m., 3:40 p.m. and 6:40 p.m. For the city of Mons, this is clearly a great opportunity.
”This is excellent news since we are going to gain 6 months of activity. Beyond allowing direct access to the French capital, this train will also facilitate local cross-border links between Mons and Aulnoye-Aimeries”, underlines Nicolas Martin (PS), mayor. “The City of Mons, capital of Hainaut and cultural capital of Wallonia, must benefit from an efficient cross-border rail link.”
And to continue: “Whether they are workers coming to work in our companies and institutions, students following their higher education in Mons or even tourists coming to visit Mons and its many cultural and recreational attractions, the train must remain a credible and comfortable option, both from an economic and ecological point of view.”
The mayor, who has never digested the removal of the direct link between Mons and Paris when demand was strong, still announces that the commissioning of the line from next summer will be valued in the next promotions of events scale, notably the BAM’s international exhibitions.
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