2023-05-25 18:28:00
Did the people of Liège know when the first holes for the construction site of their future tram were dug that this affair would last for years? Recently, some rumors suggested that the site was going to stop dead. The company managing the work, the Belgian branch of the French group Colas, wants the financial aspect of the project to be adapted. In particular to deal with a significant increase in the price of materials following high inflation. If the construction site continues despite these requests, there is considerable tension between the contractor and the client, namely the OTW – the Walloon Transport Organizer, the Walloon public transport company. Mediation is underway to find a solution to the conflict. A mediation which, according to contacts we have had, should be able to succeed next week.
When exactly ? Hard to know for sure right now. The OTW would be ready, it is said, to make a gesture, but not up to what is claimed by the Colas company. “Everyone has an interest in seeing that this mediation succeeds and that the work continues”tells us a source close to the Walloon government who does not want to believe that the mediation will fail.
Three more months for the site?
One thing seems certain, however, the deadlines announced several months ago will not be met. The work was to be completed by the end of this summer, at the beginning of September. Wallonia hopes to see the works finished at the end of 2023 and thus limit the delay to two or three months compared to the initial date of the end of the works. The commissioning of the tram in Liège itself was expected for April 2024. One can imagine, however, that with all the tests that will have to be carried out to ensure the stability of the new infrastructure, the deadline will not will not be respected. The first technical tests could still take place this summer. For the mediation that is taking place at the moment, this question of deadlines is as important as the financial aspect of the project.
In an attempt to complete the Liège tram in 2024, the number of workers has just been doubled on the site
In the meantime, the residents of the very large construction site are beginning to be fed up. Downtown merchants are desperate to see the situation return to normal. Indeed, the works discourage many potential customers.
One year before the elections, the Liège tram site is fueling political controversy. It should be remembered, however, that this project was launched several years ago and that at least three Walloon governments have been involved in it since 2014. And to say that after this project, it will be necessary to begin that of the extensions.
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