The Brand NEW Liège Tramway (2025)
YouTube name: Nathan´s Transit Journeys.
Date: .
City: Liège (Belgium).
Le Tram
Operational
Liège tram line T1: Sclessin, Standard - Liège Expo
Operational
I ride the brand-new Liège tram from Standard station in the southwest to Coronmeuse and Liège Expo in the northeast.
Chapters:
0:00: Introduction and History
1:04: Standard
4:07: Inside the Tram
6:08: Gare des Guillemins
7:38: Place Saint-Lambert
8:39: La Batte Operations
9:50: Coronmeuse
11:12: Pont Atlas
12:43: Liège Expo
14:00: Final Thoughts and Conclusion
Hello, it's Wednesday, July 23rd, 2025. Today, I'm at the station in Leuven, Belgium, on the brand-new Leuven Tramway, also known as the Waffle Place. Lees is in the east of Wuni, the French-speaking part of Belgium. About 100 years ago, the city had an extensive tram system, standard across Europe at that time. Unfortunately, with the rise of the so-called futuristic automobile, the tram's popularity declined. The last tram ran in 1967, and the city was left tramless for 57 years until recently. The modern Legez tramway opened on April 28, 2025, just over three months ago, with 11.7 km of route and 23 stops. It runs from the Stone Dej football stadium in the Scissa neighborhood in the southwest, along the west bank of the M River, through the city center, then splits into two branches at Pas to Kuram and the Lege Expo Center in Presu on the other side of the river. Today I will ride the entire line. Before I begin, I want to review the station amenities here at Stand, but I will only cover them once, as all stations have the same main features. There are multiple shelters on each platform, each with benches; some benches are used for leaning against. There are also dot matrix displays showing departure times, the date, and the time, along with ticket machines and speakers. I don't know why sounds are playing. I wonder what happens if I press this—nothing. I purchased a day pass at the central train station upon arrival from Brussels for only €4.40, which is very affordable—equivalent to two regular tickets. Like every other station on the line, Stand has a nice line diagram. There are several posted around. The only thing I would like to mention later is that these two stations are only served in one direction. These are also only served one way, except on Sundays. There's a small sign here, but I don't think it's enough. Continuing with the map theme, regional maps of the entire city are provided, showing all transportation options, including bus lines and the tram line, highlighted in red. The bus lines are color-coded by route—west, center, north—and the frequencies are listed here. Since we're on school holidays now, and it's around 11:00, the service runs every 8 minutes, splitting to each branch every 16 minutes. Some key features of Stoondach Station include parking for commuters coming from farther out, allowing them to park here instead of downtown and take the tram in.
Additionally, the nearby Stond D football stadium is very accessible by tram. The last feature I'll mention before we leave is the cross-platform bus transfers—buses depart from one side and arrive on the other. That's quite convenient, and this setup is also available at different stations. This bus stop is in Zone 20, although I’m unsure how the zone system works here. The tram runs on standard gauge track—1,435 mm—similar to those in Brussels, but different from systems in Flanders, such as those in Kent and elsewhere. And I can't forget about the Gustrom. Okay, let's board the tram. I don't know why I said that—it was an odd thing to say. Tap my card here. So, this is the tram. It's a smooth ride. The seats are stiff but comfortable. There are USB outlets under the seats—USB-A, not USB-C—which is a pity. There’s information about transferring to the train on this street—there's a train station nearby. The tram's width is 2.65 meters, which is pretty wide and comfortable. It also looks very nice and runs quietly. I’ll speak softly so the pretty loud announcements don't overwhelm them. From here, the tram runs along railway line 125. Look at that green track—I love it. I didn't realize it started here. I also wanted to mention how nice the screens are, but unfortunately, they aren’t working on this tram. Maybe I’ll see them on the next one after I get off at G. If someone can tell me what operating system this uses, I would appreciate it. Although most of the line is electrified, three sections do not have overhead wires, for aesthetic reasons. Between specific points and sections, the 27-section, 45.4-meter-long Calf Herbos trams were built with onboard systems.