Thanks to an agreement with the Flemish Brabant municipality of Linkebeek, the legal issues surrounding the expansion plans for the Brussels-Nivelles line as part of the Regional Express Network (GEN) have been resolved.

Federal Minister of Mobility Jean-Luc Crucke (Les Engages) and Benoît Gilson, CEO of Infrabel, signed an agreement yesterday with the first alderman of Linkebeek and a representative of the residents’ committee.

The line was initially scheduled to be completed in 2012, but the GEN line, or the S-train network, sometimes referred to as the RER, is now expected to be ready by 2034.

Difficult dossier

For more than 20 years, Belgian railway network manager Infrabel has had plans to operate more frequent, regular, and faster trains to and from Brussels on the Regional Express Network. This means that the number of train tracks on various routes would have to double, from 2 to 4. One of the lines, line 125 between Brussels and Nivelles, runs through Linkebeek.

But in Linkebeek, a predominantly French-speaking municipality with over 4,600 inhabitants, there was considerable resistance to the plans to double the number of tracks.

Infrabel, therefore, came up with a final compromise proposal: over a distance of 700 meters, the two tracks could be retained for at least the next 12 years, but the Linkbeek station would disappear.

With a new bicycle and pedestrian bridge several hundred meters long, commuters would now be able to reach Ukkel Moensberg station to catch the train.

Still legal appeals

The municipal council narrowly approved the proposal in mid-September and has now been formalized in an agreement with the minister and Infrabel. However, there is still a catch. Three legal appeals against the plans are still pending before the Council of State. It therefore remains to be seen how these proceedings will unfold before the dossier can be taken further.

However, the agreement allows for the lifting of two of the three appeals – those of the municipality and residents – against the GRUP, a Flemish zoning plan that is essential for the works to commence. The third appeal, which is still pending, concerns formal rather than substantive issues.

Charleroi not happy

Plus: There is the Charleroi issue. Thomas Dermine, the mayor of Charleroi, criticizes the compromise in the GEN dossier between Linkebeek and Infrabel. Dermine fears that a bottleneck will arise, making it more difficult to shorten the route between Charleroi and Brussels.

Dermine has been insisting on shortening this route for some time. A train journey between Brussels and Charleroi, which are 51 kilometers apart, currently takes 57 minutes. “That is twice the time it takes to travel between Brussels and Ghent, which is the same distance,” says Dermine.

Infrabel is surprised by the PS politician’s argument. According to the rail network manager, there is currently a bottleneck on the route between the capital and Charleroi due to a “structural blockage in Linkebeek and the agreement is specifically aimed at removing this blockage.”

From 2028 onwards, the network’s capacity will be increased to support the long-term operation of the Regional Express Network (2034).

And then there is the price tag. When the project was relaunched in 2018, a budget of €902 million was allocated to complete the GEN. However, due to the changed economic context of recent years, there is now a need for additional funding, estimated at €200 to €300 million for 2025.