The work is for the metro modernization programme being undertaken by Société des Transports Intercommunaux de Bruxelles (STIB). Systra has already carried out the initial design study for the project under a contract awarded in 2014.
Metro lines 1 and 5 were the first of the network of six lines to be commissioned in the 1970s and cross the capital from west to east, linking the historic centre of Brussels with the European quarter.
The six year mission of Systra and its partners covers the detailed design through to commissioning. A key aspect will be the supervision and testing of the signalling system and the new rolling stock, for which suppliers have already been chosen. In addition, Systra is working on the creation of a new depot, located at the Erasme station, the western terminal of line 5.
The aim is for the infrastructure to be completed by mid-2018, when the new trains are delivered.
STIB’s adoption of computer-aided trains is designed to enable an increase the frequency of trains and the capacity of Brussels’ metro lines while at the same time modernising and improving their system. Brussels hopes to improve the attractiveness of its public transport in order to reduce pollution caused by road traffic, which is particularly heavy in the city centre.
Systra project manager and head of the consultancy assignment Frédéric Meseguer said: “The main constraint with this project is not to hinder the daily circulation of trains. Work will therefore be carried out at night and the necessary station closures and line closures (during the testing phase) will be kept to a strict minimum. The interface with the customer’s other projects is a high expectation.”
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