Brussels Airport 2040 - Connecting with the future

Tram-bus to Brussels Airport increases mobility in the region

Brussels Airport is delighted that the Flemish Government has given its approval to the tram-bus project between the Heizel in Brussels and the airport. This considerable extension of public transport services will further improve the accessibility of the airport and increase the mobility of Brussels and the region to its north. 

The start of the tram-bus between the North of Brussels and Brussels Airport is one step closer again. The Government of Flanders has approved the project, so now De Lijn, together with the municipalities involved and Brussels Airport, can begin developing the route. The tram-bus will start operating on the route in 2019. 

“The extension of public transport services to Brussels Airport is very important for keeping the airport accessible and improving the mobility in the region. For the passengers, but also for the people of Brussels and Flanders who come to work at the airport. We are working in very close cooperation with the various public transport companies to have more buses, trains and – in the future – also trams serve the airport. Brussels Airport is already a mobility hub and that will increasingly become so in the future”, says Arnaud Feist, CEO of Brussels Airport Company. 

The tram-bus is a stepping stone to a normal tram service between the Heizel and Brussels Airport. Laying tram lines, however, takes several years. In order to provide a faster solution, it was decided to have a tram-bus operate the route until the tram line is ready. The tram departs from the Heizel in Brussels and then drives via Strombeek-Bever, Vilvoorde and Machelen-Diegem before reaching Brussels Airport. The route of this tram can be found on the site of De Lijn.  

In addition to the tram service between the Heizel and Brussels Airport, work is also taking place on extending the tram line from the NATO to the airport. This will begin operating in 2020.