Trams in Wallonia - 2
The Advent of the TEC
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From Wouter van Doorn's Film Archive
- © 2011-2022 Wouter van Doorn
- www.vandoorn.tv
€ 17.95
excl. € 5.95 packaging and shipment cost
Because of the small edition, this DVD comes as a DVD-R, in a standard box, with label, booklet and envelope printed in professional quality.
DVD, PAL
colour, sound
Films can be separately chosen from a menu.
Optional subtitles.
In 1991, the TEC was created as successor to two companies: the Walloon remnants of the vicinal railways SNCV in Charleroi, and the local Charleroi tramways STIC. It was hoped that replacing two partners who did not work at all well together with one new entity would mean a turnaround. This DVD concentrates less on that history than on what followed from 1991 onwards. The start was not promising. The regional character of the new TEC gave immediate rise to a conflict between the directors of the districts of Charleroi and La Louvière. Charleroi was all for the trams, La Louvière was set against. The predictable consequence was that the last tram line, straddling the two regions, was abolished between Anderlues and La Louvière. Not for lack of passengers or trams, not because of obsolescence (the line had recently been renewed), but because of conflicting egos.
What happened next was nothing short of revolutionary. It did not happen fast, but it happened all the same. During a period spanning some 15 years, a selection of previous plans was chosen for realisation, and to everyone's surprise they actually happened. In Marchienne, an infamous useless public work had been standing around half-built for a long time - it entered service. A branch to Soleilmont had been realised only as far as Gilly - it was completed. In Charleroi, a section of the envisaged circle line around the centre had been missing - it was finished. And beyond all these projects that were all to do with metro-like infrastructure, a new connection to Gosselies was created as a traditional tramway, which incidentally meant that the depot and workshop Jumet became reconnected to the network.
The result of all these developments are extensively documented. Whether or not there is a future for the partly built line to Centenaire and Le Châtelet is not yet clear, but time will tell.
All films were recorded in high-definition video, and edited with the utmost care for DVD. The sound with the film is a mix of commentary and live sound.
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1 |
No less than two line numbers of the metro system have been allocated to the remaining half of the former SNCV-line 90. This short film concentrates on two parts: the completely segregated twists through Marchienne which weren't yet in service during the filming for the DVD 'Trams in Wallonia 1: The Final Years of the SNCV', and the last remnant of the original vicinal railways (between Anderlues and Fontaine l'Évêque). |
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2 |
The expensive, incomplete and badly used tunnel stretches underneath Charleroi were definitely not new, but the branch to Soleilmont was. It was the first tangible sign that the TEC envisaged a real future for rail traffic within and around town. In addition, the Charleroi loop was completed. Astonishingly, it turned out that ancient plans were still realisable after all. |
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3 |
More astounding even than the realisation of line M4 was the successor to the old SNCV line to Gosselies being taken into service. No expensive constructions in tunnels or on viaducts, but a return of the local tram in a modern form. Who could have predicted this? |
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4 |
The metro line from Waterloo to Châtelet is partly completed in full, partly completed as far as structural work is concerned, and partly planned. Exactly like over 25 years ago. Regular maintenance work is being kept up, and up until Centenaire, the fourth stop, the line is navigable. But opened? No, never that. |
Added as extras are:
- Picture Gallery
- Subtitles (Dutch, English, German and French).
- Extensive Documentation (CD-Rom part) containing among others date en location for all the shots.
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