The Brussels public transport company STIB is celebrating the return to a more normal life with a light show in the metro tunnel between the two Arts-Loi and Parc stations this summer, hoping to bring commuters back to the city.
The light show, called "Light at the end of the tunnel," is made up of a 200-metre-long light installation in the tunnel between the Arts-Loi and Parc metro stations.
The show will run until 30 September, and will show travellers "waves of warm colours that give the impression of a sunrise." The lights will be activated every time a carriage passes, and the animation is calculated to follow the movement of the metro.
During the European Championship football, however, commuters will see the black-yellow-red lights of the Belgian flag as they pass through the tunnel, to suppport the Red Devils.
"The figures are looking better and better. Health problems are diminishing. We are gradually seeing 'the light at the end of the tunnel'," the company said, adding that the action is part of its "Get Back" campaign, which encourages Brussels residents to bring Brussels back to life.
After months of being disrupted by the health crisis, normal life in Brussels gradually resumed in recent weeks, as restaurants and cafes reopened, sports and cultural activities restarted and many people returned to the city.
The coronavirus crisis, with its lockdowns, closures of schools and non-essential shops and the obligation to telework, saw the company's ridership number drop significantly.
Currently, STIB is back to recording a 61% use of its underground networks compared to before the crisis, and 71% on the overground network, with the campaigns to bring passengers back to its network, and gradually return to the level it was at before the pandemic.
