Stib plans to fell 200 trees for new Laeken tram depot

Brussels public transport operator Stib wants to build a new tram depot near the Atomium in a project which would require felling about 200 trees.

The aim is to create extra storage space and have more trams available for events at the Heysel, Bruzz reports.

The new depot would be located on Place Saint-Lambert in Laeken, next to the Saint-Lambert tram stop, where lines 7 and 19 pass in the direction of De Wand. It borders Laeken Park, the Promenade Verte and the Laeken Royal Domain.

Stib wants to build 10 tracks with space for 16 trams on the side which is currently wooded.

“As our tram fleet continues to grow and the trains become longer, there is a great need for space to park trams,” said spokesperson Laurent Vermeersch.

“These are places where trams can be stored at night, between services, and also in the event of disruption or accidents. We now have more than 400 trams and more have been ordered. The existing depots are bursting at the seams.”

Vermeersch said the need is greatest in the north-west of the city where there are currently no large depots. Tram line 7 currently uses the depot at Buyl, in Ixelles, while tram line 19's depot is in Molenbeek.

“We want to avoid trams having to travel a long way empty in the morning and evening,” said Vermeersch.

A dozen locations have already been investigated in the past, but they were all rejected for various reasons.

“The most important option is still Heysel,” Vermeersch said.

“We would like to build a fully-fledged large depot there, but because there is still uncertainty about the redevelopment of Heysel, this isn’t possible for the time being. That’s why we are now going to build a smaller depot at Place Saint-Lambert – call it a small emergency garage.”

This emergency garage will cost between €5 million and €7 million and should also improve service to the Heysel area at peak times. During major events, such as football matches, trade fairs and concerts, additional vehicles could be deployed from here.

The additional tracks will also include a service room for drivers, with changing rooms, sanitary facilities and a technical room. The room will consist of six containers that will be recovered from the Metro 3 construction site on Avenue Stalingrad.

While the Regional Land Use Plan indicates the perimeter of the depot is located in a green zone, Stib said that this does not prevent a depot from being built according to a 2015 ruling by the Council of State which, in response to the planned Marconi depot in Uccle, determined that the construction of a tram track is separate from zoning regulations and can be considered in any area, even in a green zone.

Stib also notes that there has been a tram station on Place Saint-Lambert since the 1935 World's Fair and even a depot, which fell into disuse and became overgrown. This is the site that Stib seeks to reclaim.

Initially, 225 standard trees were to be felled, but 28 may be spared pending research.

Initial research commissioned by Stib determined that the trees to be felled are "weak".

"They’re not planted in the ground, but on ballast, the stone rubble on which the old rails rest," said Vermeersch. “This has weakened them.”

STIB acknowledged that removing the trees will slightly affect the ecological corridor in the area and promises to compensate for the felled trees with 22 new standard trees, as well as a greenification of the entire project site with shrubs, climbing plants, a hedge and a flower meadow. This would also slightly conceal the entire depot and service building from view.

The duration of the works is estimated at six months and a public inquiry into the project will run until 13 November.

The Heysel neighbourhood committee Pla'To H is against the plans.

"The tram network needs to be improved, but the construction of an outdoor technical zone right next to a residential area and green spaces raises serious questions," the committee said.

"We believe that Stib should consider other, less destructive and better integrated options - for example, a depot on an already paved area. These alternatives are too easily dismissed.

"Moreover, the proposal only offers a temporary solution, but that will have long-term consequences for the environment, the tranquillity of the neighbourhood, and it's not cheap."