2023-11-22 05:38:00
Beliris proposes the suspension of the Metro 3 project, due to works whose cost could reach 2.4 billion euros
This Thursday, a proposed decision relating to Metro 3 Nord-Bordet will be on the table of the Brussels government. The executive led by Rudi Vervoort (PS) must therefore validate a “strategic note concerning the strengthening of the surface mobility offer for neighborhood connections between North and Bordet.”
In this internal strategic note that La Libre was able to consult, the Brussels government takes note of the fact that “the Nord-Bordet Metro cannot be functional at the earliest on the theoretical date of 2034”. The members of the government even add that “given the scale of the project, its specificities and feedback, operational delays must be considered, potentially bringing this line into operation by 2038 or more ”.
“Act to increase the transport supply”
Faced with this implementation delay, the government says it believes that “it is necessary to act to increase the transport offer on the North-Bordet axis and the alternatives between now and the entry into service of metro 3” .
The Brussels government therefore plans to instruct the Minister of Mobility, Elke Van Den Brandt (Groen), “to study as a priority and implement several options in a combined manner”. Thirteen proposals are on the table. All of them aim to improve the transport situation in the area, without waiting for the fifteen years that separate us from the – very hypothetical – commissioning of the new Nord-Bordet metro.
Exploding costs
Because the Metro file is at a standstill within the Brussels majority, where there is little consensus. The PS, Défi and Open VLD, in particular, continue to advocate in favor of this project.
But for environmentalists, it’s simple: Brussels simply does not have the means to finance such a project and alternatives must be put in place without delay, whether or not this project continues.
Its continuation, or its stopping, will have to be decided by the next Brussels government.
John Pitseys (Ecolo): “Telling Brussels residents that they need a metro without having the means to pay for it is irresponsible”
While awaiting the completion of the work on this extension of line 3, the thirteen alternatives identified in the note intend to strengthen and improve the surface offer, whether trams or buses which are already running.
The government has identified six to study as a priority. There is talk of strengthening the speed and regularity of tram line 55, part of the route of which is similar to that of the future metro line. This measure is among the quickest to implement.
The government also recommends the merger of tram lines 4 and 55 and a duplication of tram 55 with buses. However, these trails require adjustments. For example, the merger of lines 4 and 55 involves the adaptation of the different stops, “which makes the option possible by 2030 – 2031 at the earliest”, we can read in the note.
The government is also asking for the reinforcement of bus routes, the implementation of the structuring bicycle network and awareness of other means of public transport (such as the SNCB urban offer S). The Brussels executive also instructs the Minister of Mobility to plan a tram line on the Chaussée de Haecht.
Contacted by La Libre, Elke Van den Brandt’s spokesperson reacted. “The government is well aware that the implementation of the metro will take some time, and there is no question of leaving the residents of Schaerbeek and Ever without improved mobility. He therefore instructed Brussels Mobility and the Stib to identify avenues for strengthening in the meantime. These avenues will be discussed with the government to see which ones should be the subject of more in-depth studies.”
Wait another 15 years?
These options, for several of them, correspond to the alternatives that Brussels MP Isabelle Pauthier (Ecolo) has been calling for for a long time now.
“The Brussels metro project poses a risk of spiraling regional debt”
Should we see this as another nail in the coffin of the North metro?
“Frankly, that’s not the goal. The objective is pragmatic,” points out a political source. The observation is, however, quite widely shared: whether or not the metro sees the light of day, the north of Brussels needs an improvement in its public transport.
Proof that the project is not buried, Beliris, the project manager for the construction of this northern part, presented the adapted plans on Tuesday as part of the planning permit request. These plans, which relate in particular to the seven stations to be built, have been adapted and take “more into account the opinions of local residents”, assures the federal body. A second public inquiry will be organized in January 2024 in the municipalities concerned.
Sven Gatz: “The Metro 3 project will have to be done via the kilometer tax
1700639956
#North #metro #ready #years #Elke #Van #den #Brandt #charged #studying #alternatives