Rail works in Brussels to benefit from EU grant

The European Union will support with almost €34 million from the TEN-T Programme a project to eliminate bottlenecks and improve the overall rail links between Brussels and the cities of Luxembourg and Strasbourg as well as Brussels Airport. Once completed, the project will contribute to the realisation of the “EuroCap-Rail on the Brussels-Luxembourg-Strasbourg railway axis” (TEN-T Priority Project 28).

The project, which was selected for funding under the 2012 TEN-T Multi-Annual Call, will support rail works in the Brussels districts of Watermael, Schuman, and Josaphat, with objective being to eliminate the rail bottlenecks in these areas as well as the district of Etterbeek.

In addition, the works will allow the connection between PP28 and, via the new railway infrastructure for Brussels Airport, the “High-speed railway axis Paris-Bruxelles/Brussel-Köln Amsterdam-London” (TEN-T Priority Project 2).

More specifically, the works will comprise:

• Civil engineering works of the Schuman-Josaphat tunnel and its connection to the existing Cinquantenaire tunnel
• Adaptation of the railway base and safety measures for the Schuman-Josaphat link, including the construction of additional emergency exits
• Extension works, finishing and safety measures for the Schuman multimodal hub
• Construction work between the Watermael and Etterbeek stations
• Installation of environmental measures (acoustic screens, anti-vibration measures)

The initiative will be monitored by the Innovation and Networks Executive Agency (INEA) and is set to be completed by December 2015.