Belgium's first "trambus", combining the best of both worlds, presented at Brussels Airport
The new "trambus", a combination of a bus and a tram, should further boost transportation methods between the city of Brussels and Zaventem airport. The vehicle, which measures 24 metres, was presented at Brussels Airport in the presence of the Flemish Mobility Minister Ben Weyts. It will get its own bus lane all the way, as the longest bus lane in the country will be created.
The trambus combines the comfort and increased capacity of a tram with the flexibility and lower budget of a bus, underlines the Belgian bus builder Van Hool who designed the vehicle. It will connect Brussels Airport with the Heizel site and the Jette University Hospital in western Brussels.
The trambus could reduce the number of cars on the congested Brussels Orbital Road by 10,000 in the long run, Roger Kesteloot of the Flemish public transport company De Lijn estimates. The trambus will have its own lane in the future, in order not to be stuck in traffic jams in an area particularly vulnerable in this respect. When this is finished, it will enjoy the longest bus lane in Belgium with 16 kilometres.
Bus drivers are now receiving special training, as the first tram buses should go on 1 September. De Lijn has ordered 14 trambuses, which can carry 137 passengers each.
