Tram systems in Liège
Liège is situated on the River Meuse in eastern Belgium, in the French-speaking region of Wallonia. It is an important cultural and economic centre, with a historic city centre and neighbourhoods extending along the river valley.
The city's heritage includes the Palace of the Prince-Bishops, its historic collegiate churches and the streets around Place du Marché. The Grand Curtius and La Boverie are major museums, while the slopes of the Citadel provide green spaces overlooking the city.
Public transport in Liège consists of trams, urban and regional buses, and rail services. The bus network was reorganised alongside the opening of the tram in April 2025, with connecting services and interchange points linking surrounding neighbourhoods to the tram corridor.
Liège-Guillemins is the city's main railway hub, with domestic services including connections to Brussels, international trains and the Liège suburban rail network. Suburban services provide links to surrounding towns, including Seraing and Chaudfontaine, while cross-border trains connect Liège with Maastricht.
Liège Airport is served by buses and shuttle services. It is outside the tram network and has no direct tram connection.
Liège's modern tram system opened on 28 April 2025. It comprises a single line with two northern branches, covering 11.7 km and serving 23 stops. The shared route runs from Standard in Sclessin through Liège-Guillemins railway station and the city centre, before dividing towards Coronmeuse and Liège Expo in Bressoux.
The tram serves central locations including the opera house and Place Saint-Lambert, as well as residential districts along the Meuse corridor. Bus interchanges connect the tram with the wider urban network, and park-and-ride facilities are provided at Standard and Liège Expo.
TEC operates Liège's tram service and the city's urban and regional bus network.
Liège's first horse-drawn trams began operating in 1871. Steam tramways followed, including the Railways Économiques de Liège-Seraing et Extensions (RELSE), founded in 1881 to serve the industrial communities extending towards Seraing and Flémalle.
Electric traction was introduced in 1893 and progressively replaced horse and steam operation. Tramways developed into an extensive network serving the city and surrounding districts, including Herstal, Bressoux, Robermont and Chênée. The 1905 Universal Exhibition encouraged further expansion, including the development of the well-known Line 4 city circuit.
From the 1930s, trolleybuses increasingly supplemented and replaced trams, particularly on routes through narrow streets and steep neighbourhoods. After the Second World War, the tramways gradually contracted as buses took over more services.
The remaining city tram services disappeared during the 1960s, with closures continuing into 1967. The RELSE “green trams” serving the wider industrial area survived slightly longer: their final services ended on 30 April 1968, bringing tram operation in the Liège agglomeration to a close.
A later attempt to introduce an automated light metro, known as TAU (Transport Automatisé Urbain), did not progress into passenger service. Its prototype vehicle is preserved at the Musée des Transports en commun de Wallonie, alongside vehicles from the original tram networks.
The modern tram project took shape following a comparative transport study commissioned by the Walloon Government in 2007. In 2008, the government approved a tram corridor between Jemeppe and Herstal. Agreement on the detailed first-stage route between Sclessin and Coronmeuse, with a branch towards the depot at Bressoux, followed in 2011.
The project experienced a lengthy procurement process. An initial preferred bidder was selected in 2014, but objections from Eurostat to the proposed financial arrangements led to a new tendering procedure in 2016. Tram’Ardent was selected in 2018, the contract was signed in January 2019, and construction began later that year.
Construction included utility diversions, new tracks and stops, a depot at Bressoux and extensive changes to streets and public spaces. Completion was repeatedly delayed, with the COVID-19 pandemic, flooding and supply and labour shortages contributing to difficulties. A revised agreement in 2023 established a programme for completing the works and preparing the system for operation.
Extensions towards Seraing and Herstal were subsequently planned, each adding four stops beyond the initial route. In August 2024, the Walloon Government cancelled both projects, citing budgetary and delivery risks, and opted instead for bus priority improvements along the affected corridors.
Following testing and trial operation without passengers, the modern tramway opened on 28 April 2025. The new system comprised 23 stops over 11.7 km, connecting Standard in Sclessin with Coronmeuse and Liège Expo via Liège-Guillemins station and the city centre.
The opening was accompanied by a major reorganisation of the bus network, establishing the tram as its main transport corridor and introducing connecting services at interchange points along the route. Trams had returned to the Liège area after an absence of almost 57 years.
Liège currently has 1 tram line, which is listed below. To see more information about a particular line, click on the link in the table below.
| Line | Description |
|---|---|
| T1 | Line T1 runs between Standard in Sclessin and the 2 branches to Coronmeuse and Liège Expo, via Gare des Guillemins and Liège city centre. |
The network uses standard-gauge track (1,435 mm). Power is supplied at 750 V DC, principally through overhead wires collected by pantographs. Onboard batteries allow the trams to operate through sections without overhead wiring, including the Pont Atlas crossing.
The route runs at street level, predominantly on reserved track separated from general traffic. Most sections are double track, although the historic centre includes separate alignments for each direction around Féronstrée and La Batte. The branch towards Liège Expo crosses the Meuse on Pont Atlas.
The Centre de Maintenance et de Remisage (CDMR) at Bressoux provides storage and maintenance facilities for the fleet, together with the tram control centre. It is situated near the Liège Expo terminus.
The fleet comprises 20 CAF Urbos trams, introduced into passenger service when the system opened in April 2025. Each tram is approximately 45 metres long and 2.65 metres wide, with driving cabs at both ends and eight double doors on each side. This bidirectional design allows services to reverse at terminal platforms without turning loops.
The trams have low floors throughout, air conditioning and passenger information displays. Each provides 62 seats, with dedicated spaces for wheelchair users and pushchairs, plus accommodation for passengers travelling with guide dogs. Their onboard energy storage supports operation through the network's sections without overhead wires.