Schuman-Josaphat tunnel linking EU quarter to Flanders opens

The tunnel is supposed to link Schuman, the centre of the EU quarter, with the airport, as well as with Halle, Vilvoorde and other stations on Line 26 to the east of the capital. Following the terrorist attacks at the airport on 22 March, the airport station is closed, and the Schuman station is only serving the S5 line from Halle to Mechelen, and in peak hours the S9 line from Eigenbrakel to Landen, as well as the NMBS rail.

Schuman, where train passengers travelling into Brussels can transfer to the metro, has been given a thorough make-over, including two new platforms. The railway runs one floor above the metro (pictured).

The Schuman-Josaphat tunnel was originally scheduled to open in December, but the opening was cancelled during the heightened terror alert following the Paris terror attacks in November. The works on the 1.25-kilometre tunnel took seven years and cost €380 million.

The tunnel is intended to take some of the pressure off of the saturated North-South line through the centre of Brussels. In time, it will allow the Schuman station to serve not only the planned Regional Express Network (GEN) but also inter-city trains from Antwerp and Liège.