Service on Metro Line 5 between Merode and Herrmann-Debroux will be suspended on multiple occasions between 10 June and 20 August due to the installation of new safety signals, the Brussels Intercommunal Transport Company (STIB) announced on Wednesday.
Metro traffic will be halted after 9:00 PM between the two stations, although services will run as normal on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evenings, as well as on public holidays, to “preserve weekend outings,” according to the public transport company.
Work will first be done in June from Tuesday 10th to Thursday 12th, Monday 16th to Thursday 19th, and Monday 23rd to Thursday 26th.
In July, the work will continue on Wednesday 2nd and Thursday 3rd, and from Monday 7th to Thursday 10th.
It will conclude in August from Monday 18th to Wednesday 20th.
Bus shuttles will be provided to transport passengers over the sections not serviced by the metro.
“The service interruption gives crews more time to install the new Communication Based Train Control (CBTC) signalling equipment in the tunnels, eventually allowing for increased frequencies,” STIB explained.
The current signalling system, dating back to 1976, requires modernisation to adapt to the growth in metro traffic, including new vehicles and more frequent services, the company added.
Metro lines 1 and 5, which are “particularly crowded,” will be the first to receive the new system.
