STIB-MIVB Brussels / Bruxelles / Brussel transport Metro/pre-Metro map - carte - kaart : August 1986 - August 3, 2022 at 12:14PM

The August 1986 route map and line descriptions for the early Metro and pre-Metro sections of line as issued by STIB-MIVB (Société des Transports Intercommunaux de Bruxelles – Maatschappij voor het Intercommunaal Vervoer te Brussel), the municipal transport authority for Belgium’s capital city.

The tram system in the city was seeing massive changes. A almost standard 1960s approach of abandonment and replacement by diesel buses was being initiated along with the very Brussels scheme of constructing pre-Metro lines in where surface tram routes were placed into purpose built sub-surface tunnels as a first phase of conversion to heavy rail metro. This process was started after 1965 and the first pre-Metro sections opened in 1969 and following years saw additional sections of this conversion take place with subsequential abandonment of street tram tracks particularly in the central area. This process also saw many temporary facilities, such as tunnel section entrance/exit ramps being built and later amended. In 1976 the conversion to full Metro standard of Line 1 took place.

In recent decades the city has taken the view to largely maintain and modernise the surving tram system along with some extensions. However work is currently taking place to finally convert pre-Metro 3/4 to full Metro operation and this is anticipated to take place in 2024.