New setback for Brussels' metro line 3

The two bids for building Brussels' new metro line 3 to Bordet do not conform to the specifications, according to public construction firm Beliris, and the contracts will have to be put out to tender for a second time, posing another setback for the project.

Two contractors submitted bids for the construction of the 4.5-kilometre tunnel in spring 2023, Bruzz reports, but the price of those bids was substantially higher than the original estimates.

The Brussels government therefore asked Beliris to analyse the bids "line by line" last year in order to reduce costs.

The analysis is now complete and Beliris determined the tenders are “irregular”. Only one of the two bids could still be adjusted to meet the requirements, but then only one bid remains, and so there is not adequate competition.

Beliris therefore proposes a new public tender after a cooling-off period. Meanwhile, the specifications could be reworked in the hope that costs could be reduced. Options other than the traditional tender could also be considered - either a division of the tender into several lots, or a private-public cooperation.

The bid debacle is not the only problem the new line is facing. At Brussels-North station, a connecting tunnel hit the groundwater layer, though a technical solution is in the pipeline.

Earlier it became known that this tunnel will probably be excavated from above, above the groundwater layer, which could have an impact on train traffic on the North-South connection.

This is still being negotiated with Infrabel and SNCB, with a final decision and updated cost estimate expected by the end of this year. The permit for this has not yet been issued.

Estimates for building the entire metro 3 are already running at €4.6 billion and the licence for the dismantling of the Palais du Midi building has also not yet been delivered.

If everything goes according to plan, the metro line could be put into service in 2031, but funding remains an obstacle. The outgoing Brussels government is explicitly looking to the new federal government to help.

Not all is amiss with the project, however. The conversion of Albert station in Forest into a multimodal hub is on schedule and structural work for the Toots Thielemans station is almost finished, according to outgoing mobility minister Elke Van den Brandt (Groen).

Other points of progress include a compensation scheme for the affected traders of the Avenue de Stalingrad so that it can be reconstructed during 2025.