Railway line 18

Cycle path over the old embankment of the old railway line 18: Winterslag-Eindhoven

The 32.5 km long railway line between Houthalen and Achel was inaugurated on 20 July 1866, as part of the Hasselt - Eindhoven line, by the railway company Compagnie du chemin de fer Liègeois-Limbourgeois et des Prolongements, also known as Liège-Limburg Railway .

During the development of the Kolenspoor, which was intended to connect the various mining sites to the existing railway network, two extensions were added to the railway line from Houthalen. One section (12.8 km) led to Beringen-Mijnen, where it connected to railway line 17, but it was soon added to railway line 15.

The other part was an extension of railway line 18 to Winterslag/Zwartberg. Inaugurated on 1 July 1925, this 10.7 km extension was intended exclusively for freight transport. Nevertheless, there was passenger traffic for a short time after the Second World War. In 1948, three pairs of trains a day provided the miners' commuter traffic. Departure and arrival in Waterschei at 6, 2 and 10 p.m. (change of shifts of the miners). This section was closed on 4 August 1990. In 1994, the tracks on the territory of the municipality of Zonhoven were broken up and a cycle path was built on the riverbed. The section between Winterslag and the military depot in Zonhoven remained in use for several years until its closure. This section of track has not yet been completely demolished (2020).

Due to the opening of the elevated railway in Eindhoven on 28 November 1953, the line got in the way. In 1959 the old railway line between Valkenswaard and Eindhoven was closed. The municipality then decided to construct a diversion between Eindhoven and Valkenswaard. It is also said that another reason for the diversion is that the mayor of Waalre lived along the railway line and he was woken up in the night by passing freight trains. In 1951 he is said to have used his influence to divert the railway. [source?] The railway line was diverted via Geldrop through the Groote Heide, so that the railway continued to exist for a few more years.

The railway was single-track and not electrified.

On June 2, 1957, the railway was closed to passenger traffic. Freight transport remained possible for a few years, but was gradually phased out between 1973 and 1996:

on 31 May 1973 the last train ran between Neerpelt and Eindhoven. The tracks were broken up in 1985.

on 5 January 1986 the last train ran between Houthalen and Eksel. The tracks were broken up in 1988.

on 2 July 1996 the last train ran on railway line 18, between Eksel and Neerpelt. The tracks were demolished in 1999.

A cycle path was built on a large part of the remaining railway bed.

Roland Versteegden