Brussels Metro lines 1 and 5 were suspended on Wednesday morning after a fire in a tunnel at Étangs Noirs station, which was evacuated, with no injuries reported.
The smoke was caused by a sleeper, a rectangular block laid horizontally underneath the steel tracks, catching fire in the tunnel at Étangs Noirs, Brussels Fire Brigade spokesperson Walter Derieuw said.
The station was evacuated while firefighters put out the smouldering sleeper.
The incident is one of several similar cases this summer. Public transport operator STIB has been gradually replacing wooden sleepers with concrete ones to prevent a recurrence.
Because of the emergency response, metro services on lines 1 and 5 were temporarily halted between Gare de l’Ouest and De Brouckère.
STIB advised passengers to use metro lines 2 or 6 between Gare de l’Ouest and Gare du Midi, then take tram 4 or 10 from Gare du Midi to De Brouckère.
