New metro line 3 delayed by at least six months

Construction of the new metro line 3 in Brussels will not start for at least another six months due to delays in the granting of permits, the complexity of the work and the coronavirus crisis. The metro line is scheduled to partially open in June 2025.

The mobility commission of the Brussels parliament met on Tuesday to discuss the delayed timeframe for the construction of line 3, with transport minister Elke Van den Brandt explaining that “with this type of construction it is not always easy to keep to the timing and the budget… unexpected things always happen.”

Van den Brandt reiterated that her goal was to deliver a metro line that is 100% accessible to people with reduced mobility, "even though we don't have all the permits for that yet," she admitted.

When complete, line 3 will run from Bordet station in Evere to Albert, in Forest. In the first phase, the existing pre-metro line, from the Gare du Nord to Albert, will be adapted to allow metro trains to run instead of trams. This phase was initially scheduled to take four years.

By 2030, the line should be fully operational.