Trains leave
Brussels-South via a new viaduct completed in 2006 to separate high-speed services from local services. From there they use the conventional
line 96. At
Forest/Vorst, the train passes the depot where inspections of Thalys and Eurostar trains may be carried out. At
Halle (
km 13), the HST tracks split from the mainline and enter their own cut-and-cover section before crossing the
Brussels–Charleroi Canal; at km 17, the high-speed line proper diverges from the mainline at the
Lembeek Viaduct, supporting speeds. Between
Rebecq and
Enghien, the line parallels the A8 motorway, separated by a security fence. At Enghien, the line parallels the regular Brussels–
Tournai line for approximately . The maintenance depot "Le Coucou" is located near
Ath. This station served as the operations base during the construction of the line (from 1993 to 1998) and currently serves as the maintenance depot for HSL 1. Slightly further on is the long
Arbre Viaduct (one of the longest rail viaducts in Europe) between Ath and
Chièvres; it passes over the Ath–Blaton canal, the
Dender River, the
Mons road and the Ath–
Jurbise railway. At
Antoing, there is a connector to the Mons–
Tournai line, used by the Thalys between Paris and
Namur. After passing over the
Scheldt River Viaduct, and through the
Bruyelle cut-and-cover section, the line crosses the Belgian-French border at
Wannehain, km 88. further on, the
Frétin triangle splits the
LGV Nord towards Paris or Lille. ==See also==