Photos by Le TEC from Liège
There are 1 tram and light rail photos by Le TEC from Liège (Belgium) on Tram Travels.
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Tram En Commun: the tram gong S7 E23 (2025)If you live in Liège or visit there frequently, you can no longer ignore it: as the number of trains on the line increases, the tram gong is becoming louder 🚊🔊
While it frustrates some residents enough to spark a petition, it remains an essential safety and prevention tool, and the General Operating Regulations govern its use.
00:00 Introduction
01:01 Reminder of the rules for using the gong
01:38 A safety and prevention tool
02:24 Effect on individuals and comparisons
02:41 Some behaviors that warrant using the gong
03:01 Quick look at the cab
04:11 Journey overview
04:36 Nancy: When people stop hearing the gong
05:02 Continuation of driver authorizations
05:13 The public inquiry for the BUSWAY line no. 4 is initiated
05:30 Conclusion
Welcome to Tram en Commun. We had planned to discuss the Liège tram gong, but not immediately. Since it's making headlines because there's a petition criticizing the current number of gongs in the city, we thought it was time to take a closer look at what's behind this notion of gongs. You should also be aware that each tram network has its own general operating regulations, which specify various aspects, including, for the most part, the use of the gong. The driver doesn't do whatever he wants; here, he gonged before entering the station. You heard him; he's leaving again, and it's mandatory. He'll do it at each of the line's stations. There are other cases where the use of the gong is completely non-negotiable; I would say it's a standard operating regulation, and we'll review all that with Daniel Wathelet. - They are required to sound the gong in certain specific situations, as we just saw: when entering and leaving the station, on curves, when two trains cross, to prevent the effect of one train hiding another. Additionally, every time there's a crossing, such as when crossing a street or a pedestrian crossing, the gong must be sounded. In other cases, such as when they see people or vehicles on the track, it must be sounded until the track is clear. - As a rule, if the track isn't clear, the tram must stop; it will ring before moving. This happens as soon as there's any movement. - Whenever it starts moving again, it sounds the gong. It's a safety and warning tool, alerting people of the tram's approach. Since the tram is relatively quiet, especially for distracted pedestrians or those with headphones or coming from the opposite direction, it's the method we use everywhere to warn people. There's also a horn that can be sounded, as well as headlights and flashes. All are set at levels audible to most people, with the aim of not disturbing residents. But it's a sound you'll need to get used to. Regarding its impact, the gong blast is relatively short; it's percussive, loud enough to hear clearly, but not long-lasting. If I had to compare it to an ambulance siren, it's much less invasive than that. Using the gong in this way is justified. There are other reasons; we've already shown them to you. We'll show them again, along with some behaviors that indicate danger, which require the driver to warn of a potential threat. Most of these images are somewhat outdated, and the question is whether, now that trains run very frequently and are often seen in the city center, the people of Liège have adapted and perhaps become less concerned about perceived danger. We thought the most straightforward solution was to take you into the tram cabin to ride along the line through Liège and see what happens. That's what we're about to do. I sound the gong upon arriving in the same direction as pedestrians, expecting them to turn around and acknowledge hearing me. If they do, I'm not sure if they listened, so I need to repeat it. - This is similar to what we saw in Léopold and Féronstrée. - Those are risky areas, especially during school hours, so we need to sound the gong often there. I don't do it for fun; it's really for everyone's reassurance. And people do turn around—those who hear the gong understand its purpose, which is for safety. There's no other choice. - For this round trip on the tram line with Patrick, he gonged around 80-90 times per trip, which makes sense when you're in the cabin and aware of what's happening in front of the tram. Many of these gongs were in line with the operating regulations, and approximately 20% were related to people being too close to the tracks. In October 2019, we visited Besançon as part of the program. We explored a city by tram, and there, they were already testing a second gong because the first one had become less effective as people grew accustomed to it. That will likely happen in Liège as well, over time. Two more points to note: many trains are currently running, and driver authorizations are ongoing. And remember, we are at a fair today.By Le TEC - .Link
Le Tram
Language: French.