The Brussels metro is celebrating its 50th anniversary. Half a century of daily journeys, connections and orange trains that have since achieved cult status. To mark the occasion, we have created a photo exhibition at Botanique with one simple aim: to show the metro from a different perspective. Over the past 50 years, our metro has become much more than just a means of transport. Today, it is part of the very DNA of Brussels.
Diving into history
On 20 September 1976, Brussels officially opened its first metro line. That day, King Baudouin boarded a brand-new orange metro train, watched by thousands of curious Brussels residents eager to discover this new mode of transport. A fun anecdote: the King did not actually board the very first train. While he was still on the mezzanine level, it departed completely empty, without him. The next train, which was already carrying invited guests, was then cleared so that he could board. A small royal mishap at the beginning of a great Brussels story.
At that time, the metro had 16 stations, one line and two antennae: De Brouckère–Tomberg and De Brouckère–Beaulieu. Since then, the network has grown considerably. Today, the metro comprises 4 lines, 69 metro and premetro stations, and 99 vehicles, carrying more than 140 million passengers each year. Not bad for a fifty-year-old youngster.
If you wish to relive the key moments from those 50 years can discover them in this article, through text and video.
From premetro to metro
Before the metro, there was already the premetro. Since 1969, Brussels has had an underground tram network. It initially ran between Schuman and De Brouckère, with a surface terminus at Sainte-Catherine. One important detail: from the outset, the premetro was designed so that it could later be converted into a metro system.
That conversion involved much more than simply changing the signs at station entrances. The platforms had to be raised, a third rail installed to supply power, and a dedicated safety signalling system put in place. All the while, the trams continued to run during the works. For the final major changeover in September 1976, services were ultimately interrupted for just four days and four nights. Four days to transform a premetro network into a metro network: given the scale of this Brussels construction project, it was almost a form of teleportation.
Delta, Jacques Brel, Erasme: it all starts in these metro depots
When we think of the metro, stations, lines, vehicles and passengers are usually the first things that come to mind. Yet a major part of its history also unfolds in its depots. This is where the trains are prepared every morning, cleaned, inspected and made ready to cover many kilometres beneath Brussels.
The first depot to open was Delta in Auderghem. Inaugurated in 1975, it is the birthplace of our metro. The first metro trains were housed there, and Delta is still a key site today for cleaning, stabling and maintaining several generations of trains: the MX, M6 and M7. Its name, by the way, comes from the triangular shape of the site on which it was built.
In 2007, the Jacques Brel depot opened in Anderlecht/Molenbeek, adding further capacity. It is also used for cleaning, stabling and maintaining the MX and M6 series. Next, in 2022, the Erasmus depot opened in Anderlecht to support the arrival of the M7, the latest generation of metro trains.
Inside these buildings, high-precision activities take place: preventive maintenance, repairs, bogie overhauls, and checks of electrical, mechanical and pneumatic equipment. While Brussels sleeps, our teams make sure the trains are ready for the next day. The metro may be 50 years old, but sleeping in is not really an option.
From the orange trains to the M7: 50 years of vehicles
You cannot talk about the metro without mentioning its vehicles. The first metro trains, built by BN (La Brugeoise et Nivelles), arrived at Delta in 1974. Since then, several generations of vehicles have followed one another on the network: from the MX and the M6 ‘boa’ to the M7, which is in use on lines 1 and 5 from 2021 onwards.
The M7 is more modern, brighter and more comfortable, with wider doors and improved accessibility for people with reduced mobility. Yet the orange trains still hold a special place in the hearts of many Brussels residents. Sometimes, nostalgia is a colour.
We have dedicated a full article to the history and family tree of our Brussels metro trains, from the M1 to the M7. For fans of numbering, technical details and the subtle differences between models, this is the right terminus indeed.
The metro logo: the M that became a Brussels symbol
You can recognise it at a glance: the white M on an azure-blue background is part of the Brussels cityscape. Yet the logo has also known quite an evolution.
In 1969, when the premetro began operating, an M-sign mounted on a pole marked the entrances to the stations. Shortly before the premetro opened, however, the M was replaced by a T, referring to the tram. In 1976, with the arrival of the metro, the M returned. This time, it took the form we still know today: a white M on a blue background.
The logo was designed by Brussels sculptor and designer Jean-Paul Emonds-Alt. It was selected following a competition and then a public referendum. Brussels residents chose it for its clarity, and it is hard to disagree with them. Fifty years later, the M still points the way to the metro without any fuss. Simple and effective.
Art in the metro: our underground gallery
The metro is more than just rails, platforms and timetables. It is also one of Brussels’ largest art galleries. Every day, tens of thousands of passengers pass contemporary works of art, sometimes without even realising it. No museum ticket is needed: an ordinary metro journey will do.
Today, more than 90 artworks decorate the entrances, corridors and platforms of our 69 metro and premetro stations. Paintings, sculptures, mosaics, photography, stained glass, bronze, wood, glass and steel: art takes every possible form here. You will find major names such as Paul Delvaux, Hergé, Roger Somville, Roger Raveel, François Schuiten and Jean-Michel Folon, as well as lesser-known artists for whom the metro provides a unique showcase.
This artistic presence is nothing new. As early as 1969, an art committee was established at the start of the construction of the premetro. In 1974, the first artworks were installed at Parc station: La Ville by Roger Dudant and Happy Metro to You by Marc Mendelson. Since then, art has evolved alongside the network and helped give each station its own identity.
Just can’t get enough? Take a look at our article on 9 instagrammable metro stations in Brussels. Because the metro is not just practical, it can also be highly photogenic!
The faces of the metro: every journey involves nearly 900 people
A metro journey sometimes lasts only a few minutes. Yet those few minutes involve the coordinated work of hundreds of people. Driving, dispatching, traffic control, training, on-site support, sales, vehicle and infrastructure maintenance, signalling, engineering, project management and more: the metro runs thanks to a whole chain of skilled professionals.
Delta station is also home to the Metro Training Center. Future metro drivers complete a 47-day training programme combining theory, practical sessions, simulator exercises and training on the network or at the depot. They learn to drive different types of trains and master signalling, emergency procedures and safety rules along the way.
Curious to find out more? We went behind the scenes of the training programme and wrote an article explaining how to become a metro driver
A look at the metro from a different perspective
Passing through Botanique with a few minutes to spare? Be sure to visit our exhibition celebrating 50 years of the metro. Discover the story of Brussels underground through key dates, as well as its depots, logo, artworks, vehicles and the professions that keep the metro running every day. It is a great opportunity to take a fresh look at a network we sometimes use without really noticing it.