Brussels public transport operator STIB unveiled the first stage of the reconfiguration of Albert station in Forest on Monday, inaugurating its new tram line 18.
After three years of work, STIB showcased the results of the first stage of the reconfiguration of the pre-metro station Albert, located on the outskirts of Forest Park, to make it a multimodal interchange. It will now be home to the new tram line 18, which runs between Albert and Van Haelen.
"Tram line 51 Van Haelen - Stadion has been interrupted between Hoogte 100 and Midi Station since November 2022 due to works and now has finally taken shape: it will remain permanently split but the southern section of the line continues past Hoogte 100 before returning to Albert station," STIB explained.
The northern section, between the Stadion and Midi Station stops, will remain line number 51, with Midi Station as its terminus. The southern part will be replaced by tram line 18, riding between the Van Haelen stop in Uccle and Albert terminus point in Forest. It will have the same frequency as line 51, with a tram every six minutes during rush hour. To continue, passengers will need to change trams at Albert.
Future layout
This new line will provide a connection with tram lines 3, 4 and 7 and eventually with the controversial metro line 3 once it is in operation.
"The station will be one of the terminus points of the future metro line 3, along with North Station and later Bordet on the other side. These facilities required a complete redesign of the station. There will be two separate sections: one for the tram and one for the metro," STIB explained.
The works are happening in several phases, but the first milestone has been reached with the inauguration of a new tram terminus on floor -1 of the station. There will eventually also be a second tram terminus on level -1 to serve the trams coming from Vanderkindere on tram 7. A possible extension of line 7 beyond Albert station towards Forest is also being studied.
The terminus for the future metro line will be located on -2. "Albert station was designed from the outset to eventually be transformed to accommodate a metro line. That is why the ticket office area is so large, with unused spaces still hidden behind the walls," STIB explained.
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Pending its transformation into a fully-fledged metro terminal, trams 3 and 4 from the Brussels North Station will continue to arrive at level -2 of the station, which is also the terminus for these lines.
To reach the city centre, tram line 18 passengers will have to descend one floor for their connection. Albert station is equipped with a lift for people with reduced mobility.
"The transformation of pre-metro into metro between Albert and Brussels North Station will allow faster and regular public transport for more passengers on the north-south axis, which has now reached its saturation point," STIB concluded. It will also provide connections with the bus lines that pass overhead (37, 48, 54, N11).
