Rue Picard and Tram 15

Today, rue Picard is a dividing line rather than a link between the Maritime district and the Tour & Taxis district. The new project aims to make rue Picard a meeting place. The aim is to anchor the street in the district by strengthening the link with the canal and thus linking the old and new Molenbeek.

By 2026/2027, a new tram line will link Belgica to Gare du Nord station via Rue Picard and the Suzan Daniel bridge. In the medium term, this line will be extended to Gare Centrale and then to Ixelles. To mark the occasion, Bruxelles Mobilité has commissioned a redesign of the public space along the section of the line that the tram will use (rue Picard and Vanderstichelen). In consultation with local residents, we are looking at ways of providing more space for pedestrians, cyclists and public transport, while guaranteeing access for motorists to and from the Maritime district.

Better infiltration of rainwater will also be ensured to reduce the risk of flooding in the lower part of Rue Picard. At the same time, less wastewater will overflow into the canal and the Senne.

Several participation activities with local residents took place in 2023.

The project involves installing the new tram line 15 in Brussels, between Avenue Belgica and Gare du Nord station, with a facade-to-facade redevelopment of the public spaces it crosses along its approximately 2 km route.

This includes the complete redevelopment of rue Carton de Wiart (Jette), rue du Hainaut (Jette), Place Philippe Werrie (Jette), part of Boulevard Belgica (Jette and Molenbeek) and part of rue Vanderstichelen (Molenbeek), rueExternal link Picard (Molenbeek), boulevard Bolivar (Ville de Bruxelles and Schaerbeek), part of rue du Progrès (Schaerbeek and Saint-Josse-Ten-Noode) and rue des Charbonniers (Saint-Josse-Ten-Noode). As the boulevard Belgica already has its own tram lane and is in good general condition, there was no need for a facade-to-facade intervention. The project therefore only involves adapting the cycle path, which is currently accident-prone as it runs directly alongside the parking spaces.

The new tram line will also require the existing electrical substation to be reinforced, which means creating a new room in the underground spaces dedicated to the metro.

Adaptations to the profile of Boulevard Bolivar have led to the need for accompanying measures at Place Sainctelette (City of Brussels), which have been incorporated into this project.

Numerous trees and shrubs will be planted along the route. Street furniture and benches will also be installed to make the space more user-friendly.