Author Preview: Brussels is modernising and extending its metro network

Article Summary

The Brussels Public Transport Company (STIB) is currently working on numerous major construction projects to improve mobility in the Belgian capital.

Construction of a new metro line, transformation of a section from ‘pre-metro’ to metro, the modernisation of the metro’s signalling system, plus the extension and construction of new tram lines and the implementation of a new bus network, are all projects underway.

With currently four metro lines, 17 tram lines, 50 bus lines, 11 night bus lines, 69 metro and ‘pre-metro’ stations and more than 2,000 stops, STIB provides more than one million journeys every day and these numbers are steadily growing. In order to accommodate the ever-growing number of travellers – Brussels inhabitants, tourists, students, commuters – and offer them more attractive transport in a constantly evolving city, STIB is continuously improving its network.

Amongst the major construction projects, a large portion is focussed on the metro system, the central element of mobility in Brussels. The Brussels metro was constructed and inaugurated in the 1970s; since then it has witnessed numerous extensions and today it is at the dawn of a new era.

In their joint article in Intelligent Transport Issue 2 2016, Luc Derie, head of the modernisation programme of the metro’s signalling system, will present the signalling aspects of the project which will enable increased passenger numbers on the metro trains in the future, thanks to the CBTC signalling system, whilst Luc Bioul, Senior Vice-President of Operations, will give a behind-the-scenes look of the metro project which will serve the north of the city, with all the challenges this will entail: excavating a new tunnel and constructing new stations in highly populated areas, but also converting a corridor which is currently used as ‘pre-metro’ (underground tram) – a feature unique to Brussels – into a section used for the metro.