STIB reinvents itself every day, not only to attract more and more new passengers but also to remain the preferred mobility choice in Brussels. New lines, new vehicles, network maintenance... Nothing is left to chance when it comes to providing a quality service.
STIB thought about all its passengers in 2023, whether they use the tram, bus or metro. It invested in new vehicles, to both expand its fleet and increase its transport offer, and to replace older vehicles so it can offer more space, comfort and accessibility. Furthermore, the TNG tram and M7 metro both received a Red Dot Award for their elegant Art Nouveau-inspired design and curves.
Probably one of the highlights of the year, the first TNG (Tram New Generation), transported its first passengers. By the end of 2023, STIB had six TNGs in circulation on line 51, between Gare du Midi and Stade. Two additional vehicles were used for driver training. These are the first examples of an order of 90 vehicles, divided into two batches of 60 and 30 new trams.
On the metro network, the delivery of the last M7 metro trains completed the first order of 22 vehicles. The arrival of these new metros freed up M6 metro trains, or "Boas", which have been moved to lines 2 and 6. This is good news for the many passengers on these lines, who now have more spacious, modern and comfortable vehicles and 15% extra capacity.
More than 100 new electric buses will soon join the STIB fleet. STIB placed two orders in 2023, one for 70 articulated electric buses and the other for 36 standard electric buses. These buses will on the one hand replace Euro 5 buses, which will no longer be authorised to operate in the capital due to the Low Emission Zone, and on the other hand will enable the fleet to be expanded. Articulated buses will be delivered progressively from 2024, and standard buses from 2026.
To operate its fleet of electric buses, STIB is equipping its depots and terminuses with charging stations. Five worksites are currently underway on the network - at Pannenhuis, Beekkant, Westland-Moortebeek, Simonis and Rue de Loxum (Central Station). The Pannenhuis, Simonis and Loxum terminuses will be redeveloped by the end of 2024. Work on the Beekkant and Moortebeek terminuses is scheduled for completion in 2025. Thanks to these improvements, lines 46, 53, 87 and 89 will be able to host 100% electric articulated buses.
The STIB network now has a new tram line: line 18. Since the first phase of the Albert station works has been completed, trams can once again run between Forest and Uccle via Chaussée d'Alsemberg. The new route is number 18 and runs between Albert, from the new tram terminus, and Van Haelen. At Albert, passengers can easily transfer to tram lines 3, 4 and 7. The aim is to eventually be able to use metro line 3 of which Albert station will be the future terminus.
The Brussels and Flemish Regions have both granted permits for the creation of a new tram line to Brussels Airport. Work on the airport tram is scheduled to start in 2026 and will take four years to complete. It involves an extension to the existing lanes on Avenue Léopold III. Passengers will ultimately enjoy a fast, efficient tram link between Gare du Nord station and Zaventem airport.
Numerous other surface rail links are planned as part of the tram master plan. It aims to lay 40 kilometres of additional tram track. In addition to the trams to the airport and from Neder-Over-Heembeek, the tram plan includes the construction of a tram line via Tour & Taxis, the Mediatram from Meiser to Crainhem and a tram link to Central Station.
Tram 10 is on the right track. Two-thirds of the rails had been laid by the end of 2023, just one year after the groundbreaking ceremony on 18 January. The new tram line linking Neder-Over-Heembeek to Churchill via the city centre is scheduled to open in autumn 2024. This new service will provide an efficient link to rapidly growing districts.
The new metro line 3 will comprise the current premetro line between Albert and Gare du Nord, which will be converted into a metro line, and a new section between Gare du Nord and Bordet. Together, they will form a 10.3-kilometre high-capacity line with 18 stations.
Several construction sites are running in parallel between Albert and Gare du Nord. The European Investment Bank (EIB) and the Brussels-Capital Region have also signed a €475 million financing agreement for the transformation of the premetro into a full metro. Albert station is gradually being transformed into a multimodal hub, with the first terminus for the new tram line 18 opening on level -1 at the end of August. Work continues in the station, to accommodate the terminuses of the future metro 3 and trams 4 and 7 and improve accessibility by installing lifts.
The administrative procedure continued for the section of line 3 that will link Gare du Nord to Bordet. Beliris filed the adapted plans with Urban, the administration in charge of urban planning and heritage in Brussels, in September 2023. The project remains largely unchanged, but improvements have been made to the layout and aesthetics of the station at Liedts, the footbridge at Verboekhoven has been removed, the platforms at Bordet have been upgraded to accommodate the widening of the railway platforms, and modifications have been made to the façade of the wastewater treatment plant at Gare du Nord.
Brussels is changing, and the STIB network is part of this. In addition to the maintenance and replacement of worn rails, a number of projects aiming at improving commercial speed are opportunities to redevelop public spaces. Road managers – the Region or the municipalities – often take advantage of STIB worksites to redesign the city in terms of accessibility, safety, green spaces, etc.
The oldest STIB metro stations date back to 1969. They include Gare Centrale and Parc station. These two stations, located in the historic heart of the capital, are undergoing a facelift. The installation of lifts, of a new tactile guidance and safety system and lift replacements will favour the accessibility of the station. The works also include the replacement of floor, wall and ceiling finishings, the installation of new works of art and the replacement of equipment. At Central Station, in addition to a complete refurbishment, there are plans to increase the station's capacity by 88%. In order to maintain maximum mobility above-ground despite the works, the station's walls and roof slab were built first. The excavation of the soil was carried out afterwards. In 2023, the first part of the roof slab was poured in the Ravenstein area.
In Forest, Albert station is undergoing work as part of the conversion of the Nord-Albert premetro into a metro. The station has two floors: -1 where the ticket office is and -2 where the trams run. The first phase of the works involved building a tram terminus on level -1 so as to free up space on level -2 for the construction of a terminus for the future metro 3. The new tram terminus has opened at the end of August and is the starting point of the new line 18, which runs between Albert and Van Haelen.
In parallel, STIB is installing a new CBTC (Communication-Based Train Control) signalling system in the tunnels on lines 1 and 5, as part of the metro modernisation programme. The aim of the system is to reduce the interval between two metro trains, thus increasing metro capacity from early 2025. The CBTC will eventually make automated driving possible. In 2023, STIB teams ran the CBTC system on metro trains for the first time. These tests took place at night, between Erasme and Bizet. There are also plans to install platform screens to prevent trespassing on the tracks. To this end, platform edges are being reinforced in several stations as well.
STIB has a number of buildings for the maintenance and storage of its vehicles. As the fleet grows, existing buildings need to be adapted and new ones created.
A connecting tunnel and the new Toots Thielemans metro station are under construction between Gare du Midi and Anneessens. The last piece of the roof slab was concreted in Avenue de Stalingrad, completing the construction of the connecting tunnel between Toots Thielemans station and Gare du Midi.
The connecting tunnel to Anneessens will have to pass under the Palais du Midi. Given the challenges involved in passing under the building, new techniques had to be used to excavate this 120 metre long connecting section. After an in-depth analysis of several proposed solutions, the Brussels Government took the decision in June 2023 to dismantle the interior of the Palais du Midi, while preserving its historic façades. The advantage of this solution is that it uses a technique that has been tried and tested on the rest of the site, and allows a much-needed in-depth renovation of this emblematic building.
In existing stations, most platforms were designed for the arrival of metro trains when they were built. However, these platforms are sometimes occupied by other infrastructures, as was the case at Gare du Midi and Porte de Hal. They have therefore been lengthened to accommodate metro trains, which are longer than trams.
Emblematic projects in 2023 included:
In June 2023, Brussels Mobility applied for planning permission to redevelop Place Meiser. The next steps are to obtain planning permission, estimated for spring 2024, and start work in spring 2025.
Brussels Mobility is also piloting the redevelopment of the Barrière de Saint-Gilles, Brussels' other road safety black spot. These works aims among other things at improving tram regularity. The public inquiry began at the end of September, as part of the application for planning permission.
The Marly depot in Neder-Over-Heembeek was commissioned in 2019. The depot will eventually be used to store, charge and maintain around 100 electric buses. The adaptation work is being carried out in several phases. By autumn 2024, the depot will already be able to accommodate 56 electric buses. A new workshop will be built here in 2025.
STIB is applying eco-construction principles to the building of this depot and is aiming for BREEAM certification in accordance with strict specifications:
The completion of the storage slab is planned in 2024 as well as the start of the structural work (foundations, load-bearing structures, floor slabs, etc.).
Renovation work on the Avenue du Roi depot started in 2021. They will enable it to accommodate more modern, longer and wider vehicles than the historic high-floor PCCs. In 2023, the new TNG-tram took up residence here.
The more than 100 years old Avenue du Roi site is characterised by the naves that make up its roof. They are refurbished one by one. The works are now concentrated around nave C, on the Rue de Belgrade side.
The façade has been sandblasted and the windows, which are now double glazed for greater energy efficiency, have been repainted. The new windows let in natural light, creating a more pleasant working environment for employees. The installation of underfloor heating in the pits will also ensure more comfortable working conditions for mechanics.
The technical infrastructure has been modernised with new walkways, new rigid overhead lines and a new, wider track layout for the T3000, T4000 and TNG trams.
As part of the redevelopment of Place Pogge, schoolchildren, residents, shopkeepers and STIB staff created illustrations that adorn the 69 windows on the façade of Schaerbeek tram depot.
In Anderlecht, the Petite Ile site will soon be extended to include a tram depot. At the end of November, STIB acquired the entire site, which covers an area of 11 hectares.
The "eco-dynamic company" label rewards companies, associations and institutions in Brussels that act to protect the environment. It is not the products or services on offer, but the company's activities that are considered within this framework: waste management, worker mobility, energy consumption, etc. The label was created in May 1999 and thoroughly revised in February 2018. This certification is coordinated by the Brussels Environment regional administration.
The Maintenance centre in Haren (MCH) was awarded the label with two stars in 2023, the Marconi depot in Uccle with three stars in 2021 and the Atrium offices with two stars, also in 2021. As part of its commitment to reducing its energy impact, STIB is optimising its heating and air-conditioning systems in several of its buildings. The taken measures include the installation of new intelligent thermostatic valves, the adaptation of management systems and the placement of new burners in boilers depending on location.
On board, passengers have more space and comfort, an air-conditioning system, and improved accessibility thanks to integrated manual ramps and large information screens. This new model includes a number of new features to enhance road safety and comfort for local residents: flexible bogies to reduce vibrations, camera mirrors in addition to conventional ones, a front camera to reduce blind spots, and an obstacle detection system. Delivery of the first order will continue until the end of 2025, and the second until the end of 2026.
The information screens in the T3000 and T4000 are being replaced to guarantee better quality information on board the vehicles. At the same time, STIB is installing new, larger colour screens of the same type in T2000 trams.
The second series comprises 21 metro trains, bringing the total number of vehicles ordered to 43. CAF, the supplier of these metros, has begun construction for delivery from 2024. The first metro in this new series was put into service in 2023.
In collaboration with visit.brussels, STIB redecorated around 20 carriages on the orange "MX" metro trains, with visuals of emblematic Brussels landmarks. Featuring the Grand-Place, the Place Poelaert, Mont des Arts, the Royal Greenhouses in Laeken, the Atomium, the Parc du Cinquantenaire, the Palais Royal and the Koekelberg Basilica, the collection illustrates some of the capital's finest sites. Two new locations were added in 2023: the Japanese Tower and Tour & Taxis. The result is a more appealing look for first-generation metros.
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