De Lijn contractor - Gruson Autobus 357135 (CFT 396) in Poperinge - 2 Aug 2001

Thursday evening 2 August 2001 – Gruson Autobus 357135 (CFT 396), a Jonckheere Communo bodied Volvo B10B new in September 1996, standing in Grote Markt, Poperinge having worked the De Lijn service 69b from Ieper. This service had its origins as a Belgian Railways substitution service running through to Abele on the Belgian-French border. The railway service into Poperinge from Kortrijk etc is numbered 69 and the section of railway on the closed section west of Poperinge to Abele became bus service 69b. The Belgian Railways bus services were taken over by De Lijn around 1991.

Gruson Autobus works a number of contracts on behalf of De Lijn, the national bus and tramway company of northern Belgium.

De Lijn (Vlaamse Vervoersmaatschappij De Lijn) was created in 1991 from the northern part of NMVB (Nationale Maatschappij van Buurtspoorwegen). The company operates its own large bus and tram fleet which carry four digit fleet numbers but the buses operated by contractors carry six digit fleet numbers – the first four digits relate to the De Lijn contract number with the final two digits are the operators own fleet number.

Photo taken from one of my favourite places, a seat at a table outside Hotel Amfora where we have stayed numerous times on our trips to Belgium. A bolt hole for me in the busy 1990s! I could happily sit here all day watching everything go by sipping a Hommelbier! Thank you to the proprietors Stef and Carmen for the ambience and hospitality. They moved on but our memories have stayed with us.