CONSTRUCTION of the shell for the future Toots Thielemans metro station in Brussels has been completed. Although this marks a significant milestone in the long-delayed construction of Line 3 in the Belgian capital, Brussels Capital Region has decided to scale back the project to reduce costs.
The 10.3km Line 3 line is designed to connect Albert in the southern district of Forest with Bordet in Evere to the northeast of the city centre, serving 18 stations. The project combines newly constructed tunnels with upgraded pre-metro infrastructure under the city centre and has been planned in two phases.
The first phase includes converting the existing pre-metro tunnel between Albert and Brussels North into a full metro line, alongside the construction of a new tunnel linking Brussels South to Anneessens. The new tunnel includes Toots Thielemans station, which is named after a celebrated Belgian jazz musician, and is intended to replace the current tunnel section running via Lemonnier, which dates back to 1958 and is unsuitable for metro conversion.
However, the project has faced mounting technical and financial challenges which have increased the cost by €170m and extended construction time by at least eight years. Unexpectedly unstable ground conditions beneath the historic Palais du Midi forced major design revisions. In 2025, demolition of the building was approved - while preserving its façade - despite continuing legal appeals.
In February 2026, the Brussels City Region introduced austerity measures and placed significant portions of the Line 3 project on hold. Plans to extend the line from Brussels North to Bordet, as well as the full conversion of the existing Albert - Brussels North pre-metro section to full metro operation, have been suspended pending further review of their feasibility.
Despite the cutbacks, construction will continue on the new Brussels South - Anneessens tunnel. But rather than operating it as a metro, this section will be completed initially as a pre-metro line operated with LRVs, enabling partial use of the new infrastructure while preserving the option for future metro conversion. This approach will cost €500m and ensure a return on the €500m already invested. This new total cost of €1bn compares with the original budget of €2bn for Line 3 in 2020.
The new tunnel should significantly ease congestion at the busy Lemonnier junction, which currently handles up to 88 LRV movements per hour. By rerouting some services through the new tunnel, reliability will be improved and delays reduced. A pedestrian connection between Toots Thielemans and Lemonnier stations is also planned to facilitate interchange.
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