The Brussels S Train, also known as the Brussels Regional Express Network (French: Réseau Express Régional Bruxellois or RER; Dutch: Gewestelijk ExpresNet or GEN) is a suburban rail system in and around the Brussels-Capital Region of Belgium. It will offer fast connections and increased frequency within a 30 km (19 mi) radius of the region, covering a territory inhabited by 2.5 million people.[1]
Most jobs in the Brussels-Capital Region are filled by workers from other regions. Private vehicles clog the city daily, hampering mobility and creating pollution. The RER/GEN is a response to these growing problems. Only 20% of commuters use public transport daily[when?]; the goal is to double this figure by facilitating movement into and within the region.[citation needed]
Total costs for the GEN/RER project will be at least €2.173bn.[2] The initially planned nine lines[3] have since increased to 12; but the projected frequency of "a departure at least every 15 minutes"[4] has not been implemented as of early 2018: most services run once per hour, a few twice per hour.
A first draft of the RER/GEN network was published in 1995. The commissioning of the first lines was then planned for 2002.
Construction requires the approval and funding from the Federal Government and the three regions, as well as the collaboration of four public transit companies (NMBS/SNCB, MIVB/STIB, De Lijn and TEC). The initial work started in 2005, and service was supposed to start in 2012. However, Belgium's administrative complexity caused numerous delays and postponements; the network will now be put into service between 2015 and 2025.[5]
Infrastructure
Railway lines within a 30 km (19 mi) radius of Brussels are included in the project.[6] Parts of the project are already in place. The most substantial works relate to the quad-tracking of several lines: two tracks for GEN/RER trains, and two tracks for intercity and high-speed trains.[7]
Most of the network uses existing rail lines. Increased frequencies and passengers, however, requires other significant infrastructure projects, in addition to the Schuman-Josaphat tunnel:
Quad-tracking of sections in order to segregate local and regional traffic from faster inter-city trains
Demolition and reconstruction of several bridges that cross the wider track
NMBS/SNCB had ordered 305 Siemens Desiro ML single-deck electric multiple units,[8] a €1.425bn contract. These will have a 2MW power rating and a capacity of 280, with construction announced as being at Siemens' plant in Krefeld-Uerdingen,[9] Germany.[4]
