Brussels public-transport operator STIB-MIVB confirmed on Friday that tram lines 25 and 62 will resume normal service on Saturday, 17 days after a sewer collapse on Rue Rogier forced a partial shutdown of both routes. Bus 70, which had been running as a replacement shuttle, will be discontinued. (brusselstimes.com)
The collapse disrupted a key east-west corridor linking the European Quarter with Brussels-North station and the Heysel exhibition district—an axis heavily used by business travellers attending conferences at Brussels Expo. During the outage, travel times between the EU quarter and the Expo grounds increased by up to 30 minutes, complicating itinerary planning for visiting executives.
![Brussels tram lines 25 and 62 back in service after sewer collapse repairs]()
Vivaqua, the region’s water utility, completed emergency excavation and piping work three days ahead of schedule. The city will now audit other ‘high-risk’ sewer segments beneath tram tracks after a spate of similar subsidence incidents on lines 92, 7 and 81. Infrastructure experts say decades-old brick collectors are vulnerable to sudden collapse when subjected to heavier modern tram units.
Employers running corporate events in Brussels should advise attendees that normal tram frequencies—every six minutes in peak periods—will apply from first service on Saturday. Global-mobility coordinators can again rely on STIB journey planners without adding buffer time for bus transfers.
The incident has revived debate over Brussels’ stalled ‘metro 3’ project, which proponents argue would take pressure off surface tram lines. However, funding remains uncertain, and the Flemish Chamber of Commerce has urged regional authorities to prioritise sewer modernisation instead. (brusselstimes.com)
The collapse disrupted a key east-west corridor linking the European Quarter with Brussels-North station and the Heysel exhibition district—an axis heavily used by business travellers attending conferences at Brussels Expo. During the outage, travel times between the EU quarter and the Expo grounds increased by up to 30 minutes, complicating itinerary planning for visiting executives.
Vivaqua, the region’s water utility, completed emergency excavation and piping work three days ahead of schedule. The city will now audit other ‘high-risk’ sewer segments beneath tram tracks after a spate of similar subsidence incidents on lines 92, 7 and 81. Infrastructure experts say decades-old brick collectors are vulnerable to sudden collapse when subjected to heavier modern tram units.
Employers running corporate events in Brussels should advise attendees that normal tram frequencies—every six minutes in peak periods—will apply from first service on Saturday. Global-mobility coordinators can again rely on STIB journey planners without adding buffer time for bus transfers.
The incident has revived debate over Brussels’ stalled ‘metro 3’ project, which proponents argue would take pressure off surface tram lines. However, funding remains uncertain, and the Flemish Chamber of Commerce has urged regional authorities to prioritise sewer modernisation instead. (brusselstimes.com)
Source: The Brussels Times
