Put metro line 3 on hold until Brussels' finances improve, says federal minister

Plans to build metro line 3, upgrading an existing tram line and extending it to Schaerbeek and Evere, should be delayed until the Brussels region's budget is in a healthier state, according to the Belgian federal minister overseeing the project.

"If you have budget problems, you have to make choices," said Bernard Quintin, the minister responsible for Beliris, the federal building authority in Brussels.

It is no secret that costs for Metro 3 are rising fast. The most recent estimates are in the region of €4.7 billion, a massive amount for a region that has a significant budget deficit, rising debt and, crucially, no regional government.

Metro critics say that this situation proves that Metro 3 has no future. People in favour argue that the works can go ahead, for example through a public-private partnership.

Quintin, meanwhile, responsible for Beliris, the capital’s construction and renovation organisation that is financing the expansion, supports the extension of the line. But he said that there must be a pause.

“Engineers tell us that you can freeze the works that have already been done. I propose to do that and then pick up the thread again when the budget is in order,” he told Bruzz.

“It will take between five and 10 years [to build this]. We need €4.5 billion to achieve the metro as it is planned today. Beliris has paid its share and cannot pay more.”

According to the current timing, Metro 3 should be fully operational by 2033, a date that has already been pushed back several times. Quintin’s proposal would mean at least another year of additional delays.