Brussels Metro 3 Halted: Minister Calls It ‘Heartbreaking’
Brussels Mobility Minister Elke Van den Brandt has publicly confirmed the decision to halt the controversial Metro 3 project, describing it as “heartbreaking but necessary” in an interview published on 23 May 2026. The project, once envisioned as the backbone of Brussels’ public transport network, has been suspended for 10 years under the February 2026 regional government agreement after costs spiralled from under €1 billion to an estimated €4.76–5.2 billion.
A Project Plagued by Cost Overruns
The Metro 3 project was designed to connect the southern Albert station in Forest to the northern Bordet station in Evere via a new 4.5 km tunnel under the city centre and Gare du Nord. Originally budgeted at under €1 billion, the project’s costs exploded to €4.76 billion according to the Court of Audit — a staggering +477% overrun — with some estimates reaching €5.2 billion. The Court declared the project’s financial sustainability “severely compromised.”
According to La Libre Belgique, Van den Brandt stated: “We’ve been working on it for years, it hurts my heart but we had to stop it.” The minister’s public confirmation comes three months after the Brussels regional government formally froze the project in its coalition agreement of 12 February 2026.
Technical and Political Challenges
The northern section of the line — a 4.5 km tunnel from Gare du Nord to Bordet with seven new stations — proved to be the most technically challenging component. The consortium Besix told the Brussels Parliament on 13 May 2026 that the requested six-year timeline was “not realistic,” estimating that ten years would be required. The construction would require unprecedented soil freezing to 82 metres depth, a technique never attempted at that scale globally.
A judicial investigation was opened by the Brussels public prosecutor’s office in October 2025 following the Court of Audit’s damning report, and a special parliamentary commission has been investigating the project’s management since October 2025, with multiple hearings held. The CEO of SM Progrès, Henri Ernst, told the commission on 23 April 2026 that there was “little chance that the project [under Gare du Nord] will succeed.”
Political Context: 613 Days of Deadlock
The Metro 3 decision is inseparable from the broader political crisis that gripped Brussels. The region went 613 days without a fully functioning government after the June 2024 regional elections, reflecting deep divisions between ecologist parties (Groen, Ecolo) and Vooruit — who defended the “Good Move” mobility plan and Metro 3 — and liberal (MR) and socialist (PS) parties, who criticised the project’s cost.
The February 2026 coalition agreement brought together seven parties (MR, PS, Groen, Ecolo, Vooruit, DéFI, CD&V) in a compromise that froze Metro 3 while maintaining some ecologist mobility measures. The halt represents a significant defeat for Groen and Ecolo, for whom the project was central to their mobility vision.
What Happens Next
While the northern extension is frozen, construction continues on the southern section (Albert to Gare du Nord). The structural work on the new Toots Thielemans station was completed in March 2026, and the Palais du Midi tunnel works continue — though this has sparked controversy, as the building must be largely demolished for a tram tunnel when the metro itself has been cancelled.
The suspended metro extension will be replaced by a tram line completing the existing network loop. According to the RTBF, under the “ten-year pause” scenario presented by STIB, completion of the full line — including the northern extension — would not be expected before approximately 2046.
Analysis: A Cautionary Tale for Mega-Projects
The Metro 3 saga offers sobering lessons for large infrastructure projects worldwide. The combination of inadequate soil surveys, procurement irregularities, lack of transparency, and political deadlock created a perfect storm. The €5 billion+ that would have been spent can now be redirected to other priorities, but sunk costs in already-built infrastructure must be accounted for.
Van den Brandt’s framing of the decision as “heartbreaking but necessary” reflects the political tightrope her government walks — acknowledging the genuine transport needs of northern Brussels communes while accepting fiscal reality. The tram replacement will have lower capacity than a metro, raising questions about future congestion on north-south routes.
What to Watch For
Several critical questions remain unanswered: Will the northern extension ever be built after the freeze? What will happen to the partially-built Gare du Nord underground structure? Will the Palais du Midi demolition proceed despite the metro cancellation? And what legal consequences will follow from the judicial investigation and parliamentary inquiry? For now, Brussels’ metro ambitions remain on hold — a casualty of ambition meeting reality.