Test runs finally begin on Liège tram after delay

Following several setbacks, including delay caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the long-awaited tram for Belgium’s fifth largest city has finally started running – but without passengers.

The official launch of the Liège tram is scheduled for 15 April, Wallonia’s public transport operator TEC announced.

“The first objective is to train and authorise the TEC personnel to drive along the whole route,” said Daniel Wathelet, TEC spokesperson for the Liège tram project.

“The second is to test all parts of the system, for example security and the passenger announcements, so that the public can soon be welcomed on board.”

This test phase also marks TEC’s complete takeover of the tram from the Tram-Ardent consortium.

When up and running, trams will run at regular intervals from 5.00 to 1.00 in the morning. At peak times there will be 18 trams travelling simultaneously along the entire route, with a tram every four-and-a-half minutes.

Liège residents, used to travelling without tram lines on this route, are reminded of six golden rules, TEC said:

• The tram always has priority. It needs 30 metres to stop
• Crossings are only permitted at authorised and signposted points
• The tram is silent
• It is forbidden to touch the overhead electrified cables
• Cyclists must cross the rails perpendicularly to avoid getting their wheel stuck in the rails, and only at authorised and signposted points
• It is imperative that there are no vehicles parked on the tram tracks

If the test phase is successful, the first passengers will board on 15 April. This is two-and-a-half years later than planned. Work on the route started in earnest back in May 2019.

At a cost of more than €1 billion, the 12km tram line will cross the historic centre of Liège. The 45-metre-long vehicles will be able to carry 310 passengers.

The 62 seats will include three spaces reserved for pushchairs and people with reduced mobility. In addition, there will be two seats for visually impaired passengers, with a special space for a guide dog under the seat.

Each tram will travel at around 20 km/h in the city centre, which is twice as fast as the average 10 km/h achieved by buses, taking traffic into account. The vehicles will have eight double doors and 26 loudspeakers to provide passengers with information.

Photo: Eric Lalmand/Belga