Work to start on the airport tram line: Brussels North to the airport in 30 minutes

The airport tram should be a sustainable alternative for travelling to the centre of Brussels. Together with the ring tram bus and the express tram, the project should improve connections between the northern suburbs and the capital, thus offering an alternative to the car.

‘The airport tram should encourage commuters to leave their cars at home and opt for the tram, bicycle or a combination of modes of transport. Today, there are often long traffic jams around Brussels Airport, resulting in rat-running when drivers take shortcuts through residential areas. Comfortable public transport with clear journey times and smooth transfers is needed to tackle these traffic jams,’ says Marijn Struyf of De Werkvennootschap, an organisation set up by the Flemish authorities to co-ordinate and realise major infrastructure projects.

Line 62 extended

The airport tram will be an extension of tram line 62, which currently ends at NATO in Haren (City of Brussels). Three new stops will be added between NATO and the motorway ring road, and another three stops will be added on the airport side.

A contractor was appointed in 2025 to undertake the first phase of the work, which includes a tram and cycle bridge over the Brussels ring road and the Brussels-Leuven railway line. ‘The first preparatory work on site will start in the coming weeks,’ says Marijn Struyf, spokesperson for De Werkvennootschap. This will be followed by work in phases on both sides of the orbital ring road.

Second phase

Meanwhile, the tendering procedure for the second part of the works, namely the construction of a tunnel under the A201 road is also underway. In the Brussels Region tram tracks have already been laid for this purpose .

The works are being closely coordinated with other major infrastructure projects in the region, such as the redevelopment of the airport junction between the Brussels Ring Road and the A201.