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Private company

De Lijn

Logo: De Lijn, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons3

Flemish public transport corporation

Vlaamse Vervoersmaatschappij De Lijn (Dutch pronunciation: English: "Flemish transport company 'The Line'"), more commonly known as De Lijn, is a state-owned enterprise run by the Flemish Government in Belgium to provide public transport with about 2240 buses and 399 trams. De Lijn was founded in 1991 after the public transport companies of Antwerp and Ghent merged with the Flemish part of the NMVB (Nationale Maatschappij van Buurtspoorwegen, or the "National Company of Local Railways").2 Its chief executive is Johan Sauwens (since 2022).1 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

Jul 31, 1990Founded1
  • Industrypublic transport1
  • HeadquartersMechelen1
  • Websitewww.delijn.be
  • Legal formFlemish region and Flemish community authorities1

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Vlaamse Vervoermaatschappij De Lijn - Mechelen - Het Lijnhuis
Photo: Heipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons4

Vlaamse Vervoersmaatschappij De Lijn (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈvlaːmsə vərˈvuːrsmaːtsxɑˌpɛi də ˈlɛin], English: "Flemish transport company 'The Line'"), more commonly known as De Lijn, is a state-owned enterprise run by the Flemish Government in Belgium to provide public transport with about 2240 buses and 399 trams. De Lijn was founded in 1991 after the public transport companies of Antwerp and Ghent merged with the Flemish part of the NMVB (Nationale Maatschappij van Buurtspoorwegen, or the "National Company of Local Railways").2

Corporate structure

De Lijn sits at the top of its group. 6 entities, 1 country on record. Switch between the flow chart and the network, and select any entity to see its details.

  • De Lijn Mechelen
    • De Lijn Antwerp Subsidiary · Belgium
    • De Lijn East Flanders Subsidiary · Belgium
    • De Lijn Flemish Brabant Subsidiary · Belgium
    • De Lijn Limburg Subsidiary · Belgium
    • De Lijn West Flanders Subsidiary · Belgium
    • Coast Tram Owned · West Flanders, Belgium
    • Plantin premetro station Owned · Antwerp, Belgium
    • vehicles of De Lijn Owned · Belgium

Built from subsidiaries, stakes and holdings from Wikidata (CC0); major holders from Schedules 13D and 13G. Each entity in the chart links to its source.

What it owns

What De Lijn reports owning in its annual reports to the SEC: buildings, land and equipment, real estate and locations, investments, intangible assets and inventory, at the end of its latest fiscal year and a year before.

Stakes and holdings (Wikidata)

  • Coast Tram
  • Plantin premetro station
  • vehicles of De Lijn

Things Wikidata records the company as owning, with the share when stated.1

Leadership

Who has led De Lijn, and when. Pick a name to see everywhere that person has worked.

Chief executive

  1. Johan Sauwens2022–now
1995200020052010201520202025

Subsidiaries and ownership

Owners

  • Flemish administration 81.5%

Subsidiaries

  • De Lijn Antwerp
  • De Lijn East Flanders
  • De Lijn Flemish Brabant
  • De Lijn Limburg
  • De Lijn West Flanders

Also owns

  • Coast Tram
  • Plantin premetro station
  • vehicles of De Lijn

From Wikidata.1

Acquisitions

  1. Succeeded Antwerp Intercommunal Transport Company1
  2. Succeeded Ghent Intercommunal Transport Company1
  3. Succeeded National company of light railways1

Timeline

  1. Feb 18, 2022New chief executive Johan Sauwens becomes CEO1
  2. Jul 31, 1990Founded Founded1

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4