2023-10-26 15:32:39
New episode in the already very long saga of the Liège tram. After the 2 and a half years of delay, the threat of bankruptcy of the site and the extension of 79 million euros by the Walloon Region, it is now one of the extensions which is threatened. The route to Seraing may never see the light of day. Tram’Ardent, the company responsible for building the tram trains and installing the security systems, has made its offer and prices are expected to reach records.
Prices described as “indecent”, “extremely high”
According to our information, the company would ask for a sum more than twice as high as what has been discussed so far. We were unable to obtain the exact figure, but these prices are described as “indecent” by the TEC, which ordered the Liège tram, and as “extremely high” by the person financing the project, the Minister’s office. Walloon Mobility, Ecologist Philippe Henry. A good source tells us that these prices are such that they cannot only be due to inflation. This same source tells us that if the offer is not revised downwards, the extension to Seraing could be abandoned. We contacted the company Tram’Ardent who did not respond to our requests.
Several construction companies, but a single technical partner
But what are we talking about? To put it simply, the tram in Liège is 3 sections. The main line which goes through the city center, the second which goes towards Herstal and the third towards Seraing. Each line is built by a different company: Colas is responsible for the first, Galère has just won the contract for the second and the third line to Seraing has yet to be awarded. However, given the current situation and these new complications, the TEC has decided to suspend the award procedure.
If the TEC uses several companies for the structural work, it has a single technical partner for all the lines: Tram’Ardent and more specifically one of the members of this company, the Spanish tram manufacturer CAF. This guarantees a certain unity, a certain coherence with the same security systems, signaling, etc. on all lines. And that’s where it gets stuck. This situation makes Tram’Ardent and CAF essential. They have already worked on the main line and supplied all the trainsets. Impossible to go back. This risks complicating future negotiations.
Weeks of negotiations and a revised schedule
To prevent the project from falling through, the TEC and the Walloon Region will begin negotiations with Tram’Ardent. These discussions could last several weeks, proof that the issue is sensitive, especially since the TEC and Tram’Ardent have already negotiated for many months about the main line. This file is also complex, because it is directly linked to the main tram project and the famous PPP (Public-Private Partnership).
In view of this new hiccup, the TEC has decided to slow down the progress of the construction of the line to Herstal, there is no question of spending public money while the relationship with the technical partner is becoming complicated. Should we fear behind this decision an abandonment of the project for Herstal in the event of failure of the negotiations? It’s still too early to tell. In the meantime, time is running out. If the extensions to Herstal and Seraing are not completed by the end of 2026, the Region will be able to give up on European subsidies.
The Minister’s office nevertheless wants to be reassuring. This new episode should not have any consequences on the construction site of the main line, the one which goes from Sclessin to Coronmeuse and Droixhe. The firm indicates that progress is continuing and that the objective of the contractor Colas is to respect the first milestone, namely a city center freed from the influence of the construction site by the end of November.
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