Information AboutBrussels Trams |
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INTERMODAL INTEGRATION The system exists in an interesting local government context, because Brussels is a self-governing region, in fact an Enclave within Flanders , although lying only some 3 kilometres from Wallonia at the closest point. This means that three-way deals are necessary between Brussels’ own STIB/MIVB, Flanders’ De Lijn and Wallonia’s TEC . Within the range of transport modes operated by STIB/MIVB (the Brussels Intercommunal Transport Company) trams fall between franchise. The Brussels conurbation – its 19 municipalities plus adjoining commuter belt – is also served by a fairly dense network of main-line trains. There is a good level of interticketing, and multiple-journey cards are interchangeable. A simple tariff system permits passengers to make unlimited changes with a one-hour period at a cost of € 1.50 or less. Ridership has been rising, and other user-friendly features that have grown up through custom and practice help this. For instance passengers open the doors themselves by pressing a green strip on the central pole, and drivers usually make a point of waiting for latecomers. However overcrowding at rush hours and at weekend is common, and fare-dodging is reputedly quite high, despite periodic enforcement campaigns. ROUTES There are 17 routes, serving most points of the compass, and including two partial ring routes. These have a very varied feel, including street running through narrow streets in working class districts (lines 81 and 82), cobbled central reservation, reserved track through parkland and woods (44), and signal-controlled running in tunnels (the "premetro"). There are even some short stretches of gutter running (18). Trams are double-ended and double-sided, and some stub termini in the middle of the road remain (55), although most have loops. The route pattern shows some notable gaps, particularly along major radial routes, because these were originally served by a separate tram system, the national network of ''tramways Vicinaux/buurtspoorwegen'' . These had a track gauge of one metre, as against the Brussels Standard Gauge , and so the tracks could not easily be taken over when the lines were progressively closed from the 1960s onwards. The complementary routing of ''vicinal'' and urban tracks and the replacement of key lines by metro has led to some peculiar track layouts, for instance at the Barrière de St-Gilles /Bareel St-Gillis. Of the seven roads that meet at this circular junction, six originally contained tramlines, whereas today only three do. To negotiate a sharp turn, route 18 has to make a 270-degree turn on its journey away from the city centre, looping round and crossing its own path. A further peculiarity is that under the South Station , the premetro and metro tracks both swap from running on the right to running on the left where they run parallel to provide cross-platform interchange between the two lines. This serves no apparent purpose, but may be because main line trains in Belgium run on the left. HIGH-FLOOR AND LOW-FLOOR TRAMS The development of the system is being pulled in two contradictory directions – towards Low-floor street-running trams and high-floor underground railway. This has led to some conflicting decisions. The standard trams – still " PCC "s from the 1950s and 60s – have been followed by the specially designed "T2000" low-floor model, and at the end of 2005 was joined by a variant of the off-the-shelf " Flexity Outlook " from Bombardier . But in some of the busiest routes the convenience of the low floor is lost because of the anomalies caused by the hesitant upgrade of tram to metro. The city now has three heavy metro lines and three stretches of premetro or underground tram. The premetro tunnels have been built to allow for eventual upgrade to heavy metro. Thus most of the platform is high, and is connected to the street (at least in the upward direction) by escalator. In the city centre lifts are being installed. But there is a cutout section taking the level down to one foot above ground, to board the trams. The three steps this entails make life difficult for passenger with baby buggies or suitcases (the trams themselves are inaccessible to wheel-chair users). HERITAGE TRAMS The system exists in happy , these trams appear in the city centre, where the line in the "Koningsstraat/Rue Royale" is trolleypole-enabled. As of 2005, Brussels tram 7037 is in San Francisco , intended to operate on Line F , surreally repainted in the blue-and-white livery of Zürich . ROUTE LIST
Planned route list for 2008 This list might be incomplete:
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