Three tunnels in the North Quarter of Brussels will be getting major renovations: Gineste leading from the Saint-Josse leading side of the railway tracks to Jardin Botanique, Brabant-Passage Rogier leading to Place Rogier, and the Prairie-Place du Nord, leading directly to the North station.
“We are moving forward in the North Quarter, step by step, with determination and by making significant investments in these tunnels under the tracks,” said Mayor Emir KIR in a press release.
“It is a question of upgrading them, first and foremost for the residents and workers of the neighbourhood, but also for the station via the tourists who come from Place Rogier, an important pillar of the hotel industry.”
On the initiative of Brussels’ Minister-President Rudi Vervoort and Mayor KIR, the tunnels will be getting a makeover that includes renovated lighting both within the tunnels and on their façades.
The walls and ceilings will be cleaned, and a layer of anti-graffiti paint will be applied.
The cost of the contract for the cleaning and painting work amounts to more than €1,500,000, which is covered under a grant for urban development.
The work is scheduled to start in early 2022.
The tunnel renovations are part of ongoing revitalisation efforts for the Saint-Josse neighbourhood, where numerous public-in-private projects have already been completed, including the renovation of social housing and roads.
“We frame these works in the global context of metamorphosis of the North Quarter in which we create more urban projects, improve the living environment and make the streets safer,” said Mayor Emir KIR.
“The aim of the operation is to open up the neighbourhood by improving the quality of the tunnels, which are currently an obstacle to use, so that people can cross the physical barrier of the railway link in a pleasant way. This is an important transcommunal and regional issue.”
Other actions in this part of Brussels are also planned within the redevelopment framework, according to the mayor.
These include the reconstruction of the Boulevard Saint-Lazare (which is currently underway with funding from Beliris), the reconstruction of the Parc Saint-Franciscus and the creation of local facilities related to early childhood and culture on Rue Rogier and Rue d'Hoogvorst.
