Several months of tram works in Jette

Brussels public transport operator Stib will start replacing several kilometres of tram tracks in Jette from next week, with significant disruptions expected to tram lines 9 and 19 for months.

Stib plans to deploy shuttle buses between Simonis and Place du Miroir while the works on Avenue de Jette are taking place.

Construction will start on 4 November and will take place in several phases until the end of March 2025. Within each phase, traffic will be diverted, although Avenue de Jette will remain accessible to pedestrians, cyclists, emergency services and rubbish trucks.

The track works concern the section of tracks between Avenue de Laeken and Avenue des Gloires Nationales, which are more than 25 years old.

“They’re worn out and therefore need to be replaced with new rails,” a Stib spokesperson said, noting that the speed of trams on this part of the network is currently limited and replacing the tracks helps prevent any risk of derailment.

“This work is part of the regular maintenance of our network and the multi-annual track plan, which provides for the replacement of several kilometres of rails each year, depending on their degree of wear.”

Local residents and shopkeepers are bracing themselves for at least five months of construction.

“We've lost a lot of customers and now that things are starting to pick up we're going to have these tram works which are going to cause a drop in customers,” one shopkeeper told RTBF. “We're just going through the motions, and there's nothing more we can do.”

Another business owner echoed the sentiment and expressed confusion: “I don't know why there's so much work going on in Jette. There's no more room for delivery lorries. There's no more room to park, and that's starting to take its toll.”

While the shopkeeper said he had not been informed of the forthcoming works, a Stib spokesperson countered that any affected shopkeepers and local residents were duly notified.

During the works, tram line 9 will be split in two, running between Groot-Bijgaarden and Simonis, and between Miroir and Roi Baudouin.

Tram 19 will run between Miroir and De Wand. Travellers can use a replacement bus in both directions between Miroir and Simonis.

The works do not involve the new tracks between Roi Baudoin and Miroir, which were laid as part of the commissioning of tram line 9.

Photo: Nicolas Maeterlinck/Belga