Brussels premetro

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The Brussels Premetro (French: Prémétro de Bruxelles; Dutch: Brusselse premetro) is a network consisting of lines 4, 10, 7 and 25 of the Brussels tramway system. It is a standard-gauge system which runs in underground sections in the city centre and further out on surface lines. The network is operated by STIB/MIVB, the local public transport company. The premetro tunnels have been built to allow for eventual upgrade to heavy metro, so most of the platform is high, and is connected to the street (at least in the upward direction) by escalator. At some stations, lifts have been installed, but there is a cutout section taking the level down to one foot above ground to board the trams. The three steps this entails make life difficult for passengers with baby buggies or suitcases, even though the new low-floor trams are accessible to wheelchair users. Growing traffic congestion led to plans to build reserved tracks for trams, and in the city centre to put them in tunnel. In 1957, the first tunnel was opened near the congested Place de la Constitution/Grondwetplein, between Brussels-South railway station and Lemonnier. The network was planned in the 1960s to become a fully underground network, yet first plans only mention regular underground tram tunnels. At its inauguration on 17 December 1969, the premetro tramways ran on the line between De Brouckère and Schuman, which was later, in 1976, converted into the common section of the first two metro lines.