Line 3 is a planned expansion of the

Brussels Metro The Brussels Metro ( ; ) is a rapid transit system serving a large part of the Brussels-Capital Region of Belgium. It consists of four conventional metro lines and three '' premetro'' lines. The metro-grade lines are M1, M2, M5, and M6 wi ...

, running from

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, through the existing '' premetro'' (underground tram) tunnel, and eventually terminating at Bordet. , it is under construction.

History

A very similar metro line was planned in 1969, but this project did not go ahead. In 2009,

STIB/MIVB The Brussels Intercommunal Transport Company ( or ; or ) is the local public transport operator in Brussels, Belgium. It is usually referred to in English by the double acronym STIB/MIVB, or by its French acronym, STIB. STIB/MIVB is responsi ...

's director-general Alain Flausch announced plans to develop north–south metro lines, because it was increasingly difficult to improve surface transport in dense suburbs, and said a line to Bordet had political consensus. In 2010,

Beliris Beliris is a joint venture between the Belgian Federal State and the Brussels Region. Governance Beliris is responsible for a range of construction projects in Belgium, improving infrastructure and cementing Brussels' role as a European capital. It ...

commissioned a study into the route, with approximately and 7 stations. The plan was approved in 2013, with construction scheduled to start in 2018 and the first metros running in 2022. Beliris is responsible for building the northern part of the route, and STIB is building the rest. In June 2023,

asked for help from the

Belgian Government The Federal Government of Belgium ( ; ; ) exercises executive power in the Kingdom of Belgium. It consists of ministers and secretaries of state ("junior", or deputy-ministers who do not sit in the Council of Ministers) drawn from the polit ...

, following a series of delays and cost overruns. , construction was expected to be complete in 2032. Metrowerkzaamheden Stalingradlaan 2022 1

Route

The southern section of the line reuses existing ''premetro'' infrastructure, from

to Gare du Nord/Noordstation. This is expected to open in 2024. North of there, new track is being built, as far as Bordet; this is expected to be complete in 2030. STIB M3 plan

The new metro will not use the current Lemonnier station. Instead, a new station,

Toots Thielemans Jean-Baptiste Frédéric Isidor, Baron Thielemans (29 April 1922 – 22 August 2016), known professionally as Toots Thielemans (), was a Belgian jazz musician. He was mostly known for playing the chromatic harmonica, as well as his guitar and wh ...

, will be built between Gare du Midi/Zuidstation and Anneessens. Lemonnier would be rebuilt to allow tram connections, but there have been tunneling difficulties under the Midi Palace, and long delays. Several other changes are needed on the premetro route. Electrification is changing 600V overhead line to 930V DC third-rail, and platforms designed for trams are changing to accommodate the new rolling stock. Some tram routes will be reconfigured, working around the new metro services.

will become multimodal, with tram routes 2 and 3 terminating there. The new metro stations in the northern section are: * Bordet * Paix/Vrede * Tilleul/Linde *

Riga Riga ( ) is the capital, Primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Latvia, largest city of Latvia. Home to 591,882 inhabitants (as of 2025), the city accounts for a third of Latvia's total population. The population of Riga Planni ...

* Verboekhoven * Colignon * Liedts In 2012, plans were announced to build a further line to the south, as far as

Uccle Uccle (French language, French, ) or Ukkel (Dutch language, Dutch, ) is one of the List of municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located in the southern part of the region, it ...

; at the time, it was expected to open in 2025.

Rolling stock

The metro line will use M7 trains, built by CAF.

References

{{reflist 3 City of Brussels Evere Forest, Belgium Saint-Gilles, Belgium Proposed transport infrastructure in Belgium

History

Route

Rolling stock

Further reading

References