Avec plus de 52,7 millions de kilomètres parcourus chaque année et quelques 150 kilomètres de réseau de tram, l’usure de nos rails est inévitable. Pour garantir votre sécurité et votre confort, il est essentiel d’entretenir et de renouveler ces rails. C’est pourquoi nous avons développé un plan pluriannuel de remplacement des voies, visant à remplacer entre 10 et 15 km de rails chaque année. On vous dit tout.

Safety first

The main reason for renewing tracks is your safety. Worn tracks can cause a tram to derail, as happened not so long ago on line 8 at the Boitsfort Gare/Bosvoorde Station stop. Track renewal there had been postponed several times. The result: a section of track broke due to advanced wear, leading to a derailment. This underlines how important it is that all track renewal works are carried out in line with the schedule set by STIB-MIVB.

Safety is not the only reason to renew tracks. Worn rails also cause tram wheels to wear out faster, which leads to increased noise and higher maintenance costs.

Track renewal: our multi-year plan

Given the number of kilometres travelled by our trams, track wear is unavoidable. Weather conditions, service frequency and the nature of the route all contribute to this wear. To manage it effectively, we have drawn up a multi-year track replacement plan, based on the level of wear assessed by our experts. The plan provides for an average of 10 to 15 km of track to be replaced each year.

This plan identifies the locations on the network where track works will be carried out over the coming years, ranked by priority. This represents around 15 to 25 worksites per year. Not all works are of the same scale, and not all have the same impact on passengers.

Track renewals are always coordinated with works carried out by other parties. Our multi-year plan is shared with Brussels Mobility to ensure coordination with other public space redevelopment projects and other worksites that affect mobility in the city.

This means the projects go beyond the tracks themselves. In many cases, track renewal is combined with works by utility providers (water, gas, telecoms, etc.) and with full street reconstruction or redesign by the road authority.

All of this is done in line with the principles for coordinating works and worksites in the Brussels-Capital Region. While this clearly extends the duration of works, it has the advantage that a newly refurbished street does not need to be reopened shortly afterwards.

Anti-vibration mats and electrical insulation

When renewing tracks, we also take the opportunity to install anti-vibration mats and track insulation systems to reduce noise and enhance safety. Our more modern, higher-capacity trams, such as the T3000 and T4000, benefit directly from these improvements. These are essential investments to accommodate growing passenger numbers and to improve your travel experience.

Limiting disruption

We are fully aware of the impact these works can have on your journeys. That’s why we schedule as much work as possible during school holidays and do everything we can to keep disruption to a minimum. For each worksite, we put alternative measures in place, such as replacement buses, and make sure you are well informed via our various

communication channels. Our staff are also on hand on site to guide you and answer your questions.

A sustainable future

Alongside these planned replacements, our maintenance teams continue to improve inspection and repair methods to extend the lifespan of our infrastructure. Our technicians use specialised equipment, such as rail lubrication systems, to reduce wear and keep tracks in good condition for longer.

Replacing tracks is a major investment, but one that is essential to guarantee the longevity and efficiency of our network. By renewing our infrastructure, we are not only meeting today’s needs but also anticipating future challenges.

The multi-year track replacement plan is a cornerstone of our commitment to the safety, efficiency and reliability of public transport in Brussels. By anticipating and proactively addressing infrastructure wear, we ensure that Brussels keeps moving safely.