Liège Trams as a Modern Tramway

Liège Trams as a Modern Tramway

Liège Trams Modern Description

The Liège tramway will consist of a single line running roughly north–south along the west side of the Meuse River between the communities of Sclessin and Coronmeuse. There is also a 1.3 km (0.81 mi) branch crossing the Atlas Bridge to the east side of the Meuse to access the tram depot in Bressoux. The line will be 11.7 km (7.3 mi) long and have 23 stops of which 21 will be on the west side of the Meuse and two along the east-side branch. Nine of the 23 stops will be transfer hubs (French: pôle d'échange) providing bus connections and, in 3 cases, SNCB railway connections (Gare des Guillemins, Gare de Saint-Lambert at Place Saint-Lambert stop, Gare de Bressoux at Liège Expo stop). Stops are spaced approximately 450 metres (1,480 ft) apart. Two stops, Standard in Sclessin and Liège Expo in Bressoux, will have park and ride facilities for 1436 vehicles.

There are 3 bridges that carry the tramway: Pont Atlas, Pont des Modeleurs and Pont des Tilleurs. The tramway will cross 79 signalized intersections. Three sections of the line will not have an overhead wire: between the Général Leman and Blonden stops, between the Opéra stop and Place des Déportés and on the Atlas Bridge. Between Place Saint-Lambert and Place des Déportés (near Pont Maghin), tracks branch into two routes, a possibly bidirectional route via Féronstrée, and a unidirectional route (direction Coronmeuse) via La Batte.

The rush-hour frequency of the line will be every 4½ minutes. The average speed of the trams will be 19–20 km/h as compared to 10–13 km/h for buses in the downtown area.

The line will use 20 seven-section CAF Urbos trams, equipped with onboard batteries to operate on the three sections of the line that have no overhead wire. The trams will be 45.4-metre (149 ft) long, 2.65-metre (8 ft 8 in) wide and 3.60-metre (11.8 ft) high, and weigh about 64 tonnes. There are eight double doors on each side of the tram. Each tram has a capacity for about 310 passengers including 62 seated. There are also 3 spaces for wheelchairs or baby carriages, and 2 spaces for visually impaired people with room under the seat for a guide dog.

The Maintenance and Storage Centre (French: Centre de maintenance et remisage – CDMR) is located just beyond the Liège Expo stop. Having an area of 23,100 square metres (249,000 sq ft), the facility has 5 major structures. The service station building, with an area of 590 square metres (6,400 sq ft) and one interior track, contains a sand loading station, a pit and overhead catwalk for inspections and a car wash. The maintenance workshop building has an area of 4,400 square metres (47,000 sq ft) and 4 interior tracks to accommodate 4 trams simultaneously: 2 tracks perched on stilts over a pit, 1 track for grinding worn wheels and 1 track for testing bogies. The tram storage shed has 5 tracks to store up to 25 trams but could be expanded for 40 trams. The operations building has office space for TEC staff and a central command post for both tram and bus operations. An adjacent park-and-ride garage has space for 771 vehicles.

Liège Trams Cancelled Extensions

In early 2024, the government of Wallonia budgeted 355 million euros to extend the tram Line 2.9 kilometres (1.8 mi) from Coronmeuse to Herstel (Place Licourt), and 2.8 kilometres (1.7 mi) from Standard (Sclessin) to Seraing (Gare de Jemeppe). With the extensions, the line would have been 17.5 kilometres (10.9 mi) long and have had 31 stops in total. The consortium Mov'urba (consisting of the local company Galère in association with Stadsbader Contractors) was awarded the contract to construct the extensions. The consortium Tram'Ardent would have remained responsible for the installation of security systems, communication and signalization for the entire system. The extensions were expected to be completed by 2026. The budget provided for the purchase of 10 additional trams.

However, In late August 2024, the region of Wallonia decided to cancel the two extensions and replace them with reserved or priority bus lanes that would require a change of vehicule at the eastern and western termini of the tram line.

Circa 2009, there was a proposal to build another tram line between Ans and Vaux-sous-Chèvremont (Chaudfontaine).

Tramway de Liège Overview

Liège Trams Status: Under construction
Liège Trams Locale: Liège, Belgium
Liège Trams Termini:
Standard, Sclessin
Coronmeuse
Liège Trams Stations: 23
Liège Trams Service Type: Light rail
Liège Trams Operator(s): TEC
Liège Trams Depot(s): Centre de maintenance et remisage
Liège Trams Rolling Stock: CAF Urbos
Liège Trams Planned Opening: January 2025
Liège Trams Line Length: 11.7 km (7.3 mi)
Liège Trams Track Gauge: 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Liège Trams Operating Speed: 19–20 km/h