The route of the future tram line linking Tour & Taxis to Brussels Central Station was determined on Thursday by the Brussels government.
The tram will run from Belgica station to the Central Station, passing near Tour & Taxis and the North Station via the Suzan Daniel bridge over the canal.
After the North Station, the tram will pass through the Rue de Brabant district in Saint-Josse to reach the Central Station via the Boulevard Saint-Lazare, passing under the Petite Ceinture.
“This new tram line is an important step for mobility and multimodality in the northwest of Brussels,” said Mobility Minister Elke Van den Brandt (Groen).
“It will perfectly connect several locations with different urban functions: densely populated residential areas such as the Maritime and Brabant districts, old and new office buildings, important mobility nodes and green spaces such as Tour & Taxis and Botanique. The fact that the new Suzan Daniel Bridge will link all this together is more than symbolic for a city that is changing.”
The new tram line will provide connections with lines 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 of the metro network, with tram lines 25, 32, 51, 55, 92 and 93 and - via two stations on the route - with the railway network.
In addition to the extension of the line to Central Station, it was also decided that the tram will serve the Brabant district in Saint-Josse and the new Iris Tower.
The tram will then continue under the Lesser Ring Road towards Central Station. The alternative route via Place Rogier and the inner ring road was not chosen.
According to Van den Brandt, this option was more expensive and more complicated technically, which would increase the risk of delays.
The Brussels government plans to start work at the end of 2023, after obtaining the necessary permits.
The Brussels Times
