Regional MP and head of Ecolo Brussels Zakia Khattabi has called for an urgent meeting to question STIB, Beliris, and Brussels Mobility over the controversial Metro Line 3 project.
It comes after a report by the Court of Audit which was strongly criticised the project, saying its financial viability was not assured.
In the afternoon, her call to reconvene the Mobility Commission was supported by CD&V MP Benjamin Dalle.
Khattabi also requested that all documents related to the project be submitted to Parliament, including those not provided to the Court of Audit.
These include complete public procurement files, management reports, financial tables from the Multiannual Investment Plan, comprehensive geotechnical and environmental studies, minutes from the strategic and steering committees, as well as any documents pertaining to transactions or dispute resolutions.
She further demanded a consolidated status report detailing the project’s real progress, the costs incurred and remaining to be financed, the governance structure, and the allocation of responsibilities.
Khattabi described the findings of the Court of Audit as damning, stating: "This project highlights opaque and deficient public management. Initially estimated at under a billion euros, the costs have now soared to nearly five billion, with operational completion pushed to 2035."
She cited issues such as rushed studies, poor risk management, irregular procedures, and chaotic coordination among STIB, Beliris, and public authorities.
She expressed concern that the Court’s efforts had been obstructed by delayed or unavailable essential documents, questioning how governance in the public interest can occur without a minimum standard of transparency. Khattabi did not rule out stronger actions if her demands were not met.
Dalle echoed her criticisms, stating that the Court’s interim report confirmed long-standing concerns about poor planning, mismanagement, and the project’s financial unsustainability.
Metro 3 expansion
"The poor management has caused this chaotic trajectory," he said, adding that the Brussels government was funnelling money it didn’t have into a project over which it had lost control, with questionable added value.
"Soon, a billion euros will have been spent without any guarantee that even a single metro will run. It’s time for the six parties negotiating the budget to make swift decisions."
The CD&V, excluded from those budget talks due to an Open VLD veto, expressed further concern over the damage to STIB’s reputation and credibility.
Dalle called for a thorough review of the management, operations, finances, and major projects of the Brussels public transport authority. He also questioned how such a major project could have gone off-track under the oversight of the Brussels government.
