On May 5, 1835, the first railway in continental Europe opened between Brussels-Groendreef/Allée verte and Mechelen. A mix of publically and privately owned railways were built over the years, and starting in 1870, the private lines were nationalized. Today, the network has over 3,500 miles of track, including four high speed lines and links to Germany, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, and the United Kingdom.
Belgian cities also have their own extensive urban networks. Brussels has a metro, and Brussels, Antwerp, and Ghent have trams. Buses are operated by De Lijn in Flanders, TEC in Wallonia, and MIVB/STIB in Brussels.
