Brussels Metro 3 Commission Concludes with 22 Reforms

The special commission of the Brussels Parliament investigating the governance of the troubled Metro 3 project concluded its work on Thursday, July 9, 2026, after 26 meetings, validating a series of findings and 22 recommendations aimed at overhauling how the region manages major infrastructure projects.

By a vote of 9 in favor (majority coalition), 4 against, and 2 abstentions, the commission approved its final report, which will be submitted to the plenary session of the Brussels Parliament on July 17, 2026. Opposition parties — including PTB, Ecolo, Team Fouad Ahidar, and DéFI — filed dozens of amendments during the process, as RTBF reported.

Background: A Project in Crisis

The commission was established following a devastating audit by the Belgian Court of Auditors in October 2025, which revealed that the Metro 3 project’s costs had ballooned from an estimated €1 billion in 2012 to approximately €4.76 billion — a 477% increase — while the completion timeline slipped from 2020 to an estimated 2035. The Court of Auditors described a project suffering from “weaknesses both in project management and in compliance with public procurement legislation.”

Key Findings

The commission identified several systemic failures in the project’s governance and execution. According to the commission’s findings, the project’s governance suffered from a complex distribution of responsibilities among multiple institutional actors and levels of government. From the outset, the financing exceeded the Brussels-Capital Region’s own capacity.

A broad majority of the commission concluded that there was no evidence of a conflict of interest tainting the project — a hypothesis the Court of Auditors had asked to be verified. The majority also continues to consider that the Metro 3 project responds to a genuine and lasting mobility need in the north of Brussels.

However, the commission pointed to significant weaknesses in estimation, financing, and risk management, illustrated by technical failures at the Palais du Midi, where jet-grouting issues led to €700 million in cost overruns, and at Brussels-North station, where unsuitable diaphragm walls added €63.6 million in additional costs, as DH Net reported.

The 22 Recommendations

The recommendations are grouped into six axes, according to La Libre Belgique: governance, study quality and environmental impact, technical risk management and budgetary sustainability, legal framework and financing, local impact mitigation, and prerequisites for completing the project.

The first and most far-reaching recommendation calls for establishing a “unique, responsible, and decision-making” pilotage within a single administration for any major regional infrastructure project, with an identified project director accountable to the government and parliament.

A Potential Pivot Away from Full Metro

Crucially, the commission’s recommendations on the project’s future signal a potential shift in direction. The commission recommends continuing infrastructure work on the Constitution junction tunnel but putting it into operation as a tram line rather than a full metro. It also calls for a re-evaluation of “the opportunity, technical feasibility, and financial sustainability” of extending the metro between Brussels-North and Bordet before any decision on its continuation.

In the meantime, the commission urges strengthening surface transport, particularly tram solutions on the Evere-Nord axis, in consultation with affected municipalities, as RTBF detailed in its follow-up coverage.

Political and Financial Implications

The commission’s work represents a critical juncture for the Brussels regional government. The majority coalition managed to present a united front in validating the findings, but the opposition’s dozens of amendments signal continued political divisions over the project’s future.

Financially, the recommendations suggest that the full Metro 3 project as originally conceived may not proceed. STIB, the Brussels public transport operator, previously presented five scenarios ranging from full continuation (€4.375 billion) to total abandonment (€1 billion minimum). The commission’s call to re-evaluate the Bordet-Nord extension, combined with the recommendation for a tram solution at Constitution junction, points toward a scaled-back approach.

What’s Next

The findings and recommendations will be debated in the Brussels Parliament plenary session on July 17, 2026. The Dilliès government must then decide how to implement the recommendations. Meanwhile, an ongoing judicial investigation by the Brussels public prosecutor’s office, opened in October 2025, adds a layer of legal uncertainty to the project’s future.

For Brussels residents, the commission’s conclusions offer a potential roadmap out of a project that has become emblematic of the challenges facing large-scale public infrastructure in Belgium — but the path forward remains fraught with political, financial, and technical hurdles.