The services of three tram lines running in the north of Brussels will either be altered or extended in "response to passengers' needs". Brussels public transport operator STIB believes the redesign will ensure increased frequency and reliability.
From Saturday 6 July, tram line 9 – which currently runs between Simonis and Roi Baudouin (near the Atomium) – and tram 19 – servicing stops between Groot-Bijgaarden and De Wand to the north of Parc de Laeken – will be realigned, STIB announced.
"The northern branches of lines 9 and 19 will be swapped: line 9 will then run between Groot-Bijgaarden and Roi Baudouin and line 19 will travel between Simonis and De Wand," spokesperson Guy Sablon said. "This realignment will improve frequency and reliability on the most used part of the line."
The map of the new route. Credit: STIB
Sablon added that the decision had been made based on STIB's constant analysis of its network to monitor the evolution of passengers' needs.
Tram line 19 runs much more frequently than tram line 9 today, even though the frequency of line 9 has steadily increased since being commissioned in 2018. However, line 19 also has issues due to the length of the line and the lack of a dedicated lane on much of the route (tram line 9 runs on its own lane).
"Combining line 9 with the Simonis - Groot-Bijgaarden 19 branch will allow us to offer a higher frequency to passengers on the Simonis-UZ Brussels axis, with a tram every four minutes during rush hour instead of every six minutes currently, and on the Simonis - Groot-Bijgaarden axis thanks to the full dedicated lane between these stops," Sablon explained.
Finally, tram line 62 – which runs between Eurocontrol and the Cimitière of Jette – will be extended to Heysel (by the Atomium) from Saturday 6 July. "This will allow people to use two tram lines to travel from Heysel to the city centre, namely lines 7 and 62," Sablon said.
In the coming days before and after the changes, STIB staff will be present on the network, at stops and in vehicles to explain the changes and help passengers who have difficulties reaching their destinations.
