The Metro Noord project involves the extension of the Brussels metro in the direction of Schaerbeek and Evere. The new route, a welcome addition to the overloaded overground tram line will handle 60,000 passengers per year.

As leading engineering consultancy, Sweco Belgium cooperated on this new metro line.

Assignment
In 2009, Beliris entrusted the feasibility study of an extension of the highly efficient public transport network to the north of Brussels, between the Noordstation and Bordet, to the temporary partnership Bureau Métro Nord (BMN), in which Sweco has the leadership.

The first part of the study, ‘Socio-economic opportunity and strategy’, was finalized in 2012. Different routes were also investigated. The second part of the study has also been finished and pertained to the technical and geotechnical feasibility in order to establish the ideal route of the metro line between Noordstation and Bordet. The third part of the study (preliminary design) is being completed further.

Route determination
The Brussels government selected the ‘densely populated Schaarbeek district’ route. This route has the greatest passenger potential and is also the shortest and therefore cheapest of the three route variants studied. The projected route also scored best in the field of technical feasibility. The new 4.36 km metro line has seven stations: Liedts, Collignon, Verboeckhoven, Riga, Linde, Vrede and Bordet. The construction of the new metro tunnel is being done via the drilling of a single tunnel pipe with a diameter of 9.8 metres. The Brussels government put the Metro Noord terminus in Bordet, but is retaining the possibility of moving this metro line to Haren at a later stage.