The Flemish public transport company De Lijn will adjust its services on 1 July to better align with available capacity, changing train schedules, and major detours.
The adjustments aim to address service shortages in various transport regions. Annick De Ridder, the minister responsible (N-VA), will provide further details on these changes to the Mobility Committee on Thursday afternoon.
De Lijn attributes these shortages to underutilisation and a lack of drivers and buses. The adjustments consider the principles of basic accessibility. Initial analyses show there are still many bus lines with low occupancy and others with potential for further investment.
In March, De Ridder informed the Mobility Committee that inefficient lines across Flanders would be removed in the July adjustments. De Lijn had already implemented network changes in January, partly to complete a phase of the basic accessibility plan and partly due to the shortage of drivers and buses.
De Lijn plans to announce a “plan of action” in September to better align services with the budgets set for each transport region.
Starting in 2026, the Flemish government will allocate additional operational resources to De Lijn. In preparation for this, the company will develop updated transport plans this autumn, in close consultation with transport regions and following a thorough evaluation.
