Kusttram: The world’s longest tram line that links two pretty Belgian seaside towns | World | News

A 140-year-old tram that is the longest in the world links two beautiful seaside towns together.

Kusttram is a public transport service along the entire Belgian coast that was first built in 1885. 

It is the longest tram line in the world at 42 miles, connecting De Panne near France to Knokke-Heiste near the Netherlands.

The service has 67 stops and runs every ten minutes during the summer months. It is used by 15 million passengers per year and goes around 43mph.

Kusttram has been described as one of the “easiest, fastest and most enjoyable ways to explore Belgium’s coastline”.

The tram has notable views such as the North Sea view between Ostend and Middelkerke, the tracks through the dunes at De Haan and the high speed.

Things to stop and see along the route include the Zwin Nature Reserve, the Belle Epoque Centre, and numerous piers.

There is also Middelkerke Casino, Westhoek Nature Reserve, German Second World War fortifications, and more.

Reviewers on Tripadvisor have called it a “great day out” and a way to access and enjoy the North Sea coast year-round.

Others said that the views were beautiful, the “perfect” way to travel, and that the tram was an inexpensive way to explore the coastal towns and villages.

Tickets are available online, on the tram, at stations and in shops and are just £6.40 for a one-day pass. The journey in full takes around two hours and 20 minutes.

Built in the late 1800s, it is the only significant survivor of a network that in 1945 boasted more than 2,800 miles of light railways and urban trams.