A new trambus line to Brussels Airport will be put in service from next spring, potentially easing congestion in the "traffic-jam capital of Europe" by getting up to 10,000 vehicles off the road daily.
On Thursday, the Brussels-Capital Region gave the green light to the new transport line which will likely begin operating around March or April of next year.
The new tram bus will see bus line 830 extended, linking a stop in Jette, to the northwest of downtown Brussels, to the national airport, going through stops in Machelen and Vilvoorde, Bruzz reports.
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Referring to Brussels as the "traffic-jam capital of Europe," regional mobility minister Elke Van den Brandt said that the new line was the result of "cooperation" between regions working to "unravel the mobility knots" in and around Brussels.
The project's approval by the region comes after the completion of a homologation procedure at the start of the month, which was necessary to ensure that the vehicle was compatible with infrastructure in Brussels territory.
After initially contemplating a tram for the liaison, officials opted for the hybrid vehicle, referred to as the Ringtrambus, in order to put the vehicle in service sooner, according to 7sur7.
Operator De Lijn said that the hybrid vehicle will run services on each direction every 15 minutes and will have the potential of getting up to 10,000 cars off the roads every day.
Gabriela Galindo
The Brussels Times
