Brussels area travelers will have a new choice to get to Brussels airport by around 2030, but exactly what service will run on the line and what its connections will be isn’t settled yet, even though construction will begin in weeks.
Brussels has a way of doing things like that. It still has a caretaker regional government almost 20 months after elections; its Metro Line 3 is stalled mid-construction with debates on how, or whether to continue, and now it’s building a tram line extension although the transport network, STIB, it will eventually connect with says it’s “too soon” to discuss details.
MIVB/STIB is the agency responsible for local public transport within Brussels; like every other agency it has both Flemish and French initials, and it connects Brussels with Flanders’ De Lijn and Wallonia’s TEC networks. The new line extends out of officially bilingual Brussels into Flemish/Dutch-speaking Flanders where the airport is located.
Although the line is physically an extension of the route of the STIB Tram 62, STIB spokespersons told press that “It is up to the competent authorities (Flanders and the Brussels Capital Region) to decide on the service’s operator, frequency, price, etc.,”
The route includes six new stations—one at the airport, and the others at major commercial locations along the way including NATO headquarters and a number of corporate office parks. While connection to the Brussels-Nord railway station is in the plans, how far or whether the route will extend past that is also unclear. It would be tempting to say that by 2030 those questions will all be answered, but this is Brussels.
