Rover-Limburg thinks that a tram between Maastricht and Hasselt can be a success. However, the tram must then call on both inner cities and connect the stations. However, the route has been a cause for discussion for some time. The idea has been around for a long time: a tram connection between Maastricht and Hasselt, which serves important intermediate locations such as the university and the center of Hasselt, to provide better access to both cities. This tram should start running in 2024, but there are still many obstacles to overcome. Rover Limburg calls on the parties involved to take action to realize the tram connection.
Flanders and De Lijn are realizing a fast tram connection between Hasselt and Maastricht. The tram route between Hasselt Station and Maastricht Mosae Forum has a length of approximately 30 kilometers, of which 27 km on Flemish territory. The bus currently takes you from Hasselt to Maastricht in about 70 minutes. It will soon take you about 30 minutes by tram. With the tram you travel twice as fast. The tram will run every half hour on working days and on Saturdays, every hour on Sundays. The tram runs in the city between 10 and 35 km / h. Outside the city, this is a maximum of 100 km / h. The tram should be operational by the end of 2023. In the course of 2024, the tram line following De Lijn can then be fully put into operation.
Is the interest of the Hasselt drivers above the interest of the traveler? Kees Braam, chairman of Rover-Limburg, wonders.
The municipal council of Hasselt now seems to fear that many people from the Belgian-Dutch border region would travel to Maastricht for their shopping, in addition, an old election promise to spare the Sacred Heart district is also playing: reasons for banning the tram from the city center .
With the new intended route, the traveler in Hasselt has to walk even further from the station, while the tram does not seem to reach the station in Maastricht because the Wilhelmina Bridge is not strong enough. Rover-Limburg is arguing here for an alternative over the railway bridge. With a good connection between the city centers and the stations, the tram can become a great success, according to Rover-Limburg. “Many commuters travel this relatively short distance by car, while it lends itself well to a public transport connection. We therefore hope that the ideas for the tram as they are intended will soon be realized”, Says Kees Braam.
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