STIB's high-floor PCC trams account for 125 vehicles out of a fleet of almost 400, meaning that 31% of trams are inaccessible for people with reduced mobility (PRMs), Brussels MP Aurélie Czekalski (MR) denounced in an article by La Capitale.
One year ago, Czekalski deplored the lack of accessibility on STIB public transport, and in particular problems with the Taxibus service. Now, she is calling for greater accessibility for PRMs regarding the so-called 'PCC' trams – old trams with steps at the vehicle's entrances. These inaccessible trams currently comprise 31% of STIB's tram fleet.
"Recently, I have noticed that PCC trams sometimes run on lines where, in principle, only low-floor vehicles are permitted. This means that the PRM has to let the PCC tram pass and wait for the next one," Czekalski states, who has seen this happen on line 8.
Mobility Minister Elke Van den Brandt commented that PCC trams are "not intended to be used as replacement trams." They may, however, be used "in exceptional cases if there is a shortage of T3000 or T4000 trams in order to guarantee a transport service, even in degraded conditions."
The Mobility Minister also gave details of STIB's tram fleet: "STIB's tram fleet had 125 PCC trams on 1 January 2023, out of a total of almost 400 trams. The PCCs run uniformly on lines 39, 44 and 97. They also run on lines 51 and 93, where the service is shared between PCC trams and low-floor trams."
With new, more accessible vehicles, installation of lifts and escalators in stations, and audible information in and out of vehicles, STIB is continuing to improve the accessibility of its network as it has been doing for years, asserted STIB spokesperson Guy Sablon in a comment to The Brussels Times.
"At present, however, we still need PCC trams to be able to maintain our current service pending delivery of new generation TNG trams. What's more, there are places (such as Montgomery station) where only PCCs can run. We can only envisage running modern trams once major infrastructure work has been carried out," Sablon said.
'Not enough'
"STIB is in the process of taking delivery of TNG trams. These trams will make it possible to strengthen the service, in particular by running low-floor trams on a greater number of lines, replacing the PCC trams which are reaching the end of their life," Van den Brandt added.
Meanwhile, Czekalski maintains that the replacement is taking too long. "31% of the STIB tram fleet is inaccessible to PRMs. How is this still possible in the 21st century in the heart of the capital of Europe? By way of comparison, in its 2019 annual report, STIB states that it has 126 PCC trams. So, in the four years since Elke Van den Brandt became Minister, that number has fallen by just one unit. That is not enough," she concluded.
