On July 1, the Flemish public transportation company De Lijn will implement changes to approximately one-third of its lines in Flanders.

The number of changes – mostly involving route cancellations or reduced frequencies – is highest in Limburg, where, for example, the bus route to Hasselt Prison is being discontinued, or the route from Sint-Truiden Station to the refugee center.

But starting today, that same province will also gain a new express line, the X44, featuring a daily tram-bus service between Hasselt and Maasmechelen.

However, there are still a few issues to be addressed. Not all infrastructure is complete yet, so the tram-bus cannot yet travel on its dedicated bus lane everywhere.

New buses and a doubling of the frequency

The new X44 line replaces the current L44 and is the first High-Quality Public Transportation (HOV) line – or express line – in the province. It is part of the Spartacus Plan, the overarching master plan for HOV in Limburg.

The route between Hasselt and Maasmechelen, via Diepenbeek, Genk, and Eisden, is 39 kilometers long and has 18 stops. “That line will be served by modern, comfortable electric buses,” says Flemish Minister of Mobility and Public Works Annick De Ridder (N- A). De Lijn purchased 17 vehicles for about 700,000 euros per bus.

“They are 18 meters long and feature all the modern amenities, such as extra-large real-time information screens inside the bus, USB ports for passengers, and an electrically operated ramp.”

On weekdays, the X44 runs from 5 a.m. to midnight. On weekends, the line runs on Saturdays from 6 a.m. to midnight and on Sundays from 7 a.m. to midni ht. Between Hasselt and Genk, the X44 runs every 15 minutes throughout the day.

During the school rush hour, the frequency is increased to one bus every 7,5 minutes. Between Genk and Maasmechelen, the bus also runs every 15 minutes during rush hour.

During off-peak hours, it runs every half hour. This represents a doubling of the frequency compared to the regular bus that used to run on this route. However, for Maasmechelen, the change also means that 6 stops will no longer be served, 3 of which are near schools.

Work is still in progress

Another drawback is that not all the infrastructure will be completed by the time the new line opens. For example, in Diepenbeek and Hasselt, among other places, work is still underway on the construction of dedicated bus lanes, which means the tram-bus currently stops at Dusartplein instead of Elfde Liniestr. The terminal in Hasselt and the one in Maasmechelen also need further finishing touches, although they are already operational.

However, work is also underway at other locations along the route to construct dedicated bus lanes, gradually improving the service’s speed and reliability. Because insufficient funds have been allocated at this time to complete the work, it may take several more years before the work is finished.

The bus on the former line took about 5 minutes to travel between Hasselt Station and Maasmechelen. According to DeWerkvennootschap, the company carrying out the project, once all the construction work is complete, the tram-bus will cover the entire route from the first to the last stop in 55 minutes, which, partly due to the 4 additional stops that were added later, is barely any faster than the current bus.

Critics argue that, as a result, the tram-bus does not meet its own definition of High-Quality Public Transportation (HOV).

Thwarted ambitions

The idea behind the Spartacus Plan was to make Hasselt a central hub, surrounded by 3 high-speed connections designed to improve access to the rest of the province – and even the Netherlands.

In addition to the X44 Hasselt-Maasmechelen line, there would also be a Hasselt-Maastricht line and a Hasselt-North-Limburg (Pelt) line, via Houthalen-Helchteren.  All 3 lines were intended to be high-speed tram lines with ambitious travel times – 28 minutes to Maastricht and Pelt, and 38 minutes to Maasmechelen.

In May 2022, however, the Flemish Government decided to permanently scrap the express tram project because it was too expensive and posed too many legal and technical obstacles, including issues with the Netherlands, with whom a lawsuit is currently pending over funds already invested.

In its place came the tram-bus: a long, electric, articulated bus that runs on a dedicated bus lane as much as possible, but does not require tracks, and would therefore be faster and cheaper to implement.

Of the 3 lines, only the X44 has been implemented so far. Line 1 (Maastricht) and Line 3 (Pelt) are still in the study or design phase.