A joint venture of Besix, Jan De Nul and Franki Construct have begun building the €175m Toots Thielemans metro station in Brussels for transit agency STIB.
It is part of the new Brussels metro line 3 connecting Vorst/Forest to Evere through the city centre by the end of 2030.
As well as building the station, the joint venture, called TM Toots, will build two tunnel elements and, later, extend and renovate the Lemonnier tram station.
With a length of 233m, the metro station will have two underground platforms and three mezzanines for the counters and entrances.
The works will be carried out in two phases, the first from 2020-2025 and the second from 2025-2028.
Brussels’ Minister of Mobility and Public Works Elke Van den Brandt witnessed the ground-breaking ceremony.
"We are aware of the considerable challenges entailed by this project, particularly at a technical level, and of the high expectations of the client, public transport users and the surrounding neighbourhoods," said Geert Versweyveld, TM Toots project director.
"However, our client STIB will be able to count on our full cooperation in order to achieve the highest quality infrastructure."
The station is in a densely populated commercial area, so TM Toots will have to follow a comprehensive nuisance reduction plan minimising noise and vibration conserving space.
A new roundabout will be built to divert traffic on Brussels’ inner ring road.
Image: Brussels’ Minister of Mobility and Public Works Elke Van den Brandt witnessed the ground-breaking ceremony (Besix)
