STIB-MIVB has confirmed that major civil-engineering works around Brussels South (Gare du Midi/Zuidstation) will begin on 27 April and run through April 2027, forcing the diversion or partial suspension of tram lines 4, 10, 51 and 81. According to project documents seen by La Libre Belgique, the construction will modernise track geometry, replace a century-old turnout complex and waterproof the tunnel box that carries the North–South pre-metro. During the first six-month phase, tram 4—the backbone of east-west commuting between Stalle P and Brussels-North—will turn short at Stephanie. Passengers bound for Gare du Midi must transfer to Metro 2/6 or temporary bus M4. The new express bus will run every six minutes at peak and accept all STIB travel cards. Line 10 will be cut back to Vandervelde-West, while sections of lines 51 and 81 will run on single track with extended headways.
![Year-long tram diversions at Brussels’ Gare du Midi to start 27 April]()
International commuters caught up in the diversion period may also have to juggle visa formalities alongside new travel patterns. VisaHQ’s Belgium portal (https://www.visahq.com/belgium/) offers swift online checks and application support for all Belgian short-stay and work visas, making it easier for consultants, seasonal staff and football fans to sort paperwork well before they navigate the disrupted network.
For daily commuters the changes mean longer travel times—STIB’s own modelling shows up to +12 minutes in the morning peak—and more forced interchanges. Brussels-based corporates have been advised to update mobility plans and teleworking rosters accordingly, especially on days when Eurostar and Thalys traffic raises pedestrian volume inside the station. Retailers inside Gare du Midi fear a drop in footfall; the project consortium (Besix, Colas Rail and TUC Rail) has set aside a €1.2 million mitigation fund for small businesses whose turnover falls by more than 25 percent. On the upside, once complete the redesigned layout will allow 60-metre low-floor trams to operate at 40 km/h—up from the current 25 km/h—boosting capacity just ahead of Brussels hosting matches at the 2027 Women’s Euro football championship. STIB has launched a multilingual information campaign, including QR-coded platform posters and a real-time disruption feed on the STIB app. Employers can request tailored briefings; several EU institutions have already booked sessions. The operator says that the timing, right after the spring holidays, was chosen to avoid overlapping with the busy summer festival season.
International commuters caught up in the diversion period may also have to juggle visa formalities alongside new travel patterns. VisaHQ’s Belgium portal (https://www.visahq.com/belgium/) offers swift online checks and application support for all Belgian short-stay and work visas, making it easier for consultants, seasonal staff and football fans to sort paperwork well before they navigate the disrupted network.
For daily commuters the changes mean longer travel times—STIB’s own modelling shows up to +12 minutes in the morning peak—and more forced interchanges. Brussels-based corporates have been advised to update mobility plans and teleworking rosters accordingly, especially on days when Eurostar and Thalys traffic raises pedestrian volume inside the station. Retailers inside Gare du Midi fear a drop in footfall; the project consortium (Besix, Colas Rail and TUC Rail) has set aside a €1.2 million mitigation fund for small businesses whose turnover falls by more than 25 percent. On the upside, once complete the redesigned layout will allow 60-metre low-floor trams to operate at 40 km/h—up from the current 25 km/h—boosting capacity just ahead of Brussels hosting matches at the 2027 Women’s Euro football championship. STIB has launched a multilingual information campaign, including QR-coded platform posters and a real-time disruption feed on the STIB app. Employers can request tailored briefings; several EU institutions have already booked sessions. The operator says that the timing, right after the spring holidays, was chosen to avoid overlapping with the busy summer festival season.
