April 2025. For the first time since 1968, trams ride on the streets of Liège (Luik, Lüttich). Belgium has now five cities with trams: Brussels, Antwerp, Ghent, Charleroi and now Liège. And, of course there’s the Coast Tram or Kusttram in West Flanders, with 67 km the longest tram line in the world. Danny and I went to Liège in May 2025, to sample the tram, eat boulet sauce lapin and visit the Public Transport Museum of Wallonia. 

Nearly six decades after the last service was withdrawn, the modern Liège tramway officially opened on 28 April 2025. The first tram departed from the Liège Expo stop at 4:20 AM, drawing large crowds eager to witness the return of a transport mode deeply rooted in the city’s past.

Tramways in Liège date back to the horse-drawn era, with electric trams first introduced in 1893. By the early 20th century, the city’s network had expanded significantly, although operations remained fragmented until 1927. 

Despite the ageing fleet—many vehicles dated back to before World War I —trams remained in service until November 1967. A planned metro system in the 1970s never materialised, and its partially constructed tunnel is now considered one of Belgium’s best-known ‘white elephants’.

2008

Calls for a new tramway resurfaced in 2008, prompted by mounting congestion in the low-lying city centre. After years of studies and consultations, the Walloon Government approved a light rail project in 2011, originally envisioning a 19.1-kilometre line from Seraing to Herstal, with an additional branch to Bressoux. 

However, financing challenges led to a scaled-down first phase: an 11.7-kilometre core route between Sclessin and Coronmeuse, including a 1.3-kilometre branch across the Atlas Bridge to Bressoux, where the maintenance and storage facility is located.

The system was developed under a public–private partnership. The Tram’Ardent consortium—comprising Spanish manufacturer Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF), infrastructure firm Colas, and investor DIF—was awarded the contract in 2018 to finance, design, build, and maintain the line for 31 years. 

TEC (short for Transport En Commun, public transport), the Walloon public transport operator, is responsible for daily operations. Construction began in 2019 but faced numerous setbacks, including pandemic-related delays. 

The project was finally completed more than two years behind schedule. By its inauguration, the total cost of the 12-kilometre system had exceeded one billion euros—over 250 million more than initially estimated.

Route

The new tramway follows a single north–south corridor along the west bank of the Meuse River, linking the communities of Sclessin and Coronmeuse. 

The 11.7-kilometre line includes 23 stops—21 on the west side of the river and two on the branch to Bressoux—with an average spacing of 450 metres. 

Nine stops serve as multimodal transport hubs, including connections to three NMBS / SNCB railway stations: Liège-Guillemins, Liège-Saint-Lambert (via the Place Saint-Lambert stop), and Bressoux (via Liège Expo). Park-and-ride facilities are available at the Royal Standard de Liège football club in Sclessin and Liège Expo in Bressoux, with a combined capacity of 1,436 vehicles.

Between Place Saint-Lambert and Place des Déportés, the tramway splits into two single-track alignments: a bidirectional route along Féronstrée and a one-way track towards Coronmeuse via La Batte. 

From Monday to Saturday, trams towards Standard use Féronstrée, while those bound for Coronmeuse use La Batte. On Sundays, due to the Marché de la Batte, trams in both directions run via Féronstrée, a pedestrianised street.

Operations

Trams operate daily from 5 AM to 1 AM and run every five minutes during peak hours, and every seven to fifteen minutes during off-peak times. With an average speed of 19 to 20 kilometres per hour, the system is significantly faster than city centre buses, which average 10 to 13 kilometres per hour. 

The line crosses three bridges—Pont Atlas, Pont des Modeleurs, and Pont des Tilleurs—and encounters 79 signalised intersections. 

Three sections operate without overhead wires, using onboard batteries: between Général Leman and Blonden, between Opéra and Place des Déportés, and across the Atlas Bridge.

Rolling stock

The fleet comprises 20 CAF Urbos trams, each 45.4 metres long and consisting of seven sections. They are equipped with onboard batteries for catenary-free operation, measure 2.65 metres in width and 3.60 metres in height, and weigh approximately 64 tonnes. 

Each tram can carry about 310 passengers, with 62 seated. Accessibility features include eight double doors per side, three spaces for wheelchairs or prams, and designated areas for visually impaired passengers, including room for guide dogs under the seats.

The maintenance and storage centre (Centre de maintenance et remisage – CDMR), located just beyond the Liège Expo stop, spans 23,100 square metres and comprises five main structures. 

The service station includes a sand-loading facility, an inspection pit with a walkway, and a tram wash. The 4,400-square-metre workshop houses four tracks, including one for wheel grinding and one for bogie testing. A storage shed accommodates up to 25 trams, with capacity for 40. The control centre oversees tram and bus operations, and an adjacent park-and-ride facility provides 771 parking spaces.

Extensions?

In early 2024, the Walloon government allocated €355 million for two extensions: a 2.9-kilometre extension from Coronmeuse to Herstal (Place Licourt), and a 2.8-kilometre extension from Standard to Seraing (Jemeppe Railway Station), which would have added eight more stops. 

The Mov’urba consortium, comprising Galère and Stadsbader Contractors, was selected for construction, while Tram’Ardent was to handle signalling and communications. Ten additional trams were planned, and completion was scheduled for 2026.

However, in August 2024, the government cancelled both extensions, citing cost concerns. Instead, it opted to enhance bus services with priority lanes connecting to the tram termini, requiring passengers to transfer between trams and buses. Earlier plans for a separate tram route between Ans and Vaux-sous-Chèvremont were also shelved.

But

Despite the many delays and changes, the return of trams to Liège marks a major shift in the city’s approach to sustainable mobility. 

While it remains to be seen whether the system will meet TEC’s goal of reducing car traffic in the city centre by 30%, the tramway has already become a striking new feature of urban life—modern, multimodal, and built with the ambition to reconnect a city long without rail-based public transport.

Riding the tram

New trams are fun. The Liège tram uses standard gauge, 1435 mm, which allows for long and wide trams. The tram is comfortable, has a pleasant to the eye colour palette of grey, wood and red and grey seats. 

31 May was a hot day and air conditioning worked well. Great.