King Philippe driving new tram 9 in Brussels: “An example for the future”

The new Brussels tram line 9 linking was inaugurated on Saturday afternoon, in the presence of King Philippe and Minister-President of the Brussels Government, Rudi Vervoort. The tram line links he Simonis and Arbre Ballon stations in fifteen minutes, passing through UZ Brussel hospital.

After arriving at 15:00 in Simonis station, the King drove the tram which cut the ribbon with the colors of Belgium.

The first rails were laid in September 2015. The entire project cost € 76 million, financed by the Region and up to € 20 million by Beliris.

Ultimately, the line will be extended to King Baudouin station to serve the Heysel plateau. “Our tram network, which will soon be 150 years old, continues to expand and now has 18 tram lines,” said Brieuc de Meeûs, CEO of STIB. “The tram has always had a strong identity link with Brussels.”