Liège tramway opens

28 April saw the re-introduction passenger tramway operation in the Belgian city of Liège after 58 years, following a ribbon-cutting ceremony on 25 April. Although electric trams (two systems, TULE and RELSE) ran in the Walloon city from 1893 to 1967, regional political leaders started to discuss a modern tram line in 2008 after a metro plan was abandoned. The regional government gave the go-ahead at the end of 2011, but the bureaucratic details took several years to sort out due to the need to comply with EU tendering regulations. On 19 September 2018 the Wallonie transport agency TEC awarded a 31-year PPP contract to the Tram’Ardent consortium formed by CAF, COLAS and DIF Capital Partners.  

 

Originally valued at EUR 429M, the contract had to be boosted by EUR 79M in order to keep the consortium on board during the COVID pandemic. The contract covers 11.7km of tramway, including 3km without overhead (the 20 seven-section 45.4m double-ended CAF trams will use the OESS ultracapacitor system), 21 stops, a depot and two P+R sites. The east–west line links Sclessin (Standard) and Coronmeuse passing Guillemins railway station and through the city centre with a 1.3km branch to Liège Expo (site of the depot). Originally the line was planned to be 19.1km long from Seraing to Herstal, and was hoped that the full length would form a second stage, but the election of a new Walloon government has seen the finance for the extensions at both ends withdrawn.  

 

The first tram was delivered in July 2022, but it was not until 10 October 2023 that the first test run outside the depot could take place. By then it was clear that the planned opening date of 25 April 2024 could not be met. Passenger service was tentatively planned for October 2024, but it was not until 20 August that the first test tram reached the city, so another slippage occurred. Finally dummy operation from February 2025 revealed some issues that needed to be resolved before the line was finally ready to open. Unfortunately a national strike by TEC staff meant that no trams ran on 29 April. There was a day of celebrations at stops along the route on 10 May.