The Brussels Government may replace part of the Metro 3 project with surface tram lines to avoid demolishing the Palais du Midi and save over €500 million, according to an alternative plan presented Thursday.
The Metro 3 project, currently suspended, involves building the future Toots Thielemans station and connection tunnels for tram operations. Three organisations – Arau, Bral, and Inter-Environnement Bruxelles (IEB) – claim these infrastructures are unnecessary.
The proposed plan, called Prémétro+ and updated in 2023, suggests rerouting tram lines 51 and 82 to run above ground between Midi station and Lemonnier.
This would avoid conflicts with tram lines 4 and 10 in the underground tunnel and allow for a third tram line in the North-South tunnel without demolishing the Palais du Midi.
The plan is estimated to cost between €13.5 million and €22.5 million. It also proposes extending tram 55 to Albert, merging existing tram lines to create new ones, and improving transport links in Schaerbeek and Evere.
The public transport company STIB initially deemed the plan technically unfeasible. However, the organisations behind the proposal say they have addressed these concerns with new technical details revealed on Thursday.
The organisations also repeated their request for a meeting with Brussels Minister-President Boris Dilliès (MR). They sent their proposal to him three weeks ago but have not yet received a response.
