# Europe Forum > Travelling & Living in Europe > Benelux >  New RER light-train & metro networks for Brussels by 2012

## Maciamo

Public transports in Brussels are evolving, and that's a good thing. 

*New RER for 2012*

The Belgian Railway is now working on a RER network (like in Paris) for the Belgian capital and the Brabant region. It will have 8 lines and should be operational for 2012. Some notable improvement include :

- Brussels National Airport will be on line 3 linking Leuven to Braine-l'Alleud via Brussels-Schuman, Etterbeek and Uccle. Current trains only go to the 3 main stations of Brussels (North, Central, South).

- Line 2 will connect Nivelles to Louvain-la-Neuve via central Brussels.

- Lines 4 and 7 will circumnavigate the East and South of Brussels from Vilvoorde to Hal, via Evere, Etterbeek (Merode, Delta) and Uccle. Line 4 will continue northward to Mechelen and eastward to Gerardsbergen.

- Better use of the central Chapelle and Congres stations with traffic from lines 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6.

Click here for the network map


*New Metro for 2008*

The STIB (metro-tram-bus company) had previously announced that it would revise the organisation of the Brussels Metro for the first time since its completion, changing the lines from a 1A, 1B and 2 scheme to a 1 to 5 scheme (so creating 3 new lines). The current line 2 will become a "circle line" around the city centre doubled by a line 6 which will continue northward to Laeken (a bit like the combination of Circle and District lines in London). The pre-metro (underground tramway) lines between the North and South Stations will be combined in a single line 3 continuing to Churchill. Line 1B will be renamed line 1 and will run between Stockel and the West Station (so shorter than now). Line 1A will become line 5 and wun between Erasmus and Hermann-Debroux. I haven't seen any mention of a line 4, although it is probably being planned if they have left a "4" in the middle.

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## Duo

Yes finally. I always thought that Brussels had a great network in terms of buses/trams but lacked a lot in train connections and especially METRO. Hopefully they will extend the metro a bit more to the suburbs to connect the city better.

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## Maciamo

From today (20th April 2007), a new network of night buses is being launched. 31 new lines link De Brouck&#232;re Square to all the suburbs of the city. Two additional lines will circumnavigate the center between the South and North Train Station via Simonis and Schuman. Night buses run from 12:20 to 3 a.m.

In the course of 2007, new 140 new buses as well as new-generation tramways will be put into service. The biggest change will be the replacement of the (very) old metro carriages by brand new ones in autumn 2007. 

Another improvement will be the implementation of new "Mobib" card, validated without contact with the ticket barrier (like the "Suika" card in Japan, except that it won't be a rechargeable card, but a season ticket).

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## Duo

Also STIB just included ther Noctis night buses that run from the city center to the various parts of town, 20 lines in all I think and they cover the city quite well I must admit....

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## Maciamo

The tracks of the loop on metro line 2, between the West Station and Beeckant, is finally completed. Works in the last station on the circle line is not finished though, and the new section will not open until early 2009. It will be accompanied by a complete reorganisation of the metro lines into 4 lines instead of 3 now.

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