Trams in Brussels
The Brussels tramway network is a tram system serving a large part of the Brussels-Capital Region of Belgium. It is the 16th largest tram system in the world by route length, in 2017 providing 149.1 million journeys (up 9.5% on 2016) over routes 140.6 km (87.4 mi) in length. In 2018, it consisted of 18 tram lines (eight of which—lines 3, 4, 7, 25, 32, 51, 55 and 82—qualified as premetro lines, and five of which—lines 3, 4, 7, 8 and 9—qualified as "Chrono" or "Fast" lines). Brussels trams are operated by STIB/MIVB, the local public transport company.
| Brussels tramway network | |||||||||
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A Bombardier T3000 in Brussels, 2010 | |||||||||
| Operation | |||||||||
| Locale | Brussels, Belgium | ||||||||
| Routes | 18 (2019) | ||||||||
| Owner(s) | Brussels-Capital Region | ||||||||
| Operator(s) | STIB/MIVB | ||||||||
| Infrastructure | |||||||||
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge | ||||||||
| Propulsion system(s) | Electricity | ||||||||
| Electrification | 750 V DC overhead lines | ||||||||
| Depot(s) | 7 | ||||||||
| Stock | 397 | ||||||||
| Statistics | |||||||||
| Track length (total) | 140.6 km | ||||||||
| Route length | 141.1 km (87.7 mi) | ||||||||
| 2017 | 149.1 million | ||||||||
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| Website | http://www.mivb.be/index.htm?l=en STIB/MIVB (in English) | ||||||||
The network's development has demonstrated many of the quandaries that face local public transport planners. It also has several interesting peculiarities: the inconsistent route pattern resulting from the closure of the interurban trams, the conflict between low-floor surface trams and high-floor underground trams, and whether the trams run on the right or the left.