The Antwerp pre-subway will close for four months. For all those months, there will be no tram connection between the left and right banks of the river Scheldt. Public transport company De Lijn will completely close part of Antwerp’s pre-subway tubes in 2026 to carry out thorough renovation works. “By completely closing the tubes, we can work faster,” says Ann Schoubs, director general of De Lijn.

The oldest pre-subway tubes, such as Diamant and Groenplaats, are fifty years old – 34% or 72 km of tram tracks are older than 26 years – so major maintenance is twenty-five years late, and the infrastructure urgently needs repair. There is even a safety risk. Everyone in politics involved with public transport in the past ten years knew this intervention was coming.

New tram tracks and lighting

The first restoration work will start in 2026 and take five to eight months. The next phase starts in 2027 and will take nine to twelve months. De Lijn will renew the tram tracks and tackle the entire subway tubes. Also, the lights and cable guts will be renewed.

Meanwhile, subway users wonder how they will get to their destinations. The city of Antwerp, Lantis, the builder of the Oosterweel connection, and several city services are analyzing ways to get De Lijn’s travelers to their destinations smoothly during the renovation project.

Shuttles will be used to reconnect both river sides, and twelve two-direction trams will be used – they do not require a turning loop to return.

‘Mobility disaster’

According to De Lijn director-general Ann Schoubs, in 2022, 30 million euros was reserved for rail investments. This amount will increase to 45 or 50 million euros in the coming years.

Mobility experts are baffled by the news that the oldest subway tubes will be closed for many months. They fear a giant ‘mobility disaster’. “We will need a comprehensive plan with solutions for all modes of transport in Antwerp,” says Dirk Lauwers, professor of mobility and space at the University of Antwerp.

‘Cable car’

Dirk Lauwers: “Two years ago, during the presentation of the plans for a bicycle bridge over the Scheldt, I proposed a cable car. In the same period, such a debate was also held in Paris. Next year, they will open a 1,6-kilometer cable car in Paris. It turned out to be much cheaper than extending the metro.”

Travelers’ organization TreinTramBus is not amused either. “Cutting the connection between the right and left river bank is unacceptable,” they say. “At that time, the Oosterweel works will also be in full swing. This is organizing an urban traffic infarct.”

“This situation is very urgent,” Lauwers concludes. “Every effort must be made to prevent a mobility disaster.”