In order to boost sustainable transport in the Belgian province Limburg, the Spartacus plan has been developed. By investing in public transport by rail, traffic jams must be reduced and connectivity with neighbouring countries and provinces improved. As part of the Belgian Spartacus plan, a new crossborder tramline will be realized between Hasselt (BE) and Maastricht (NL). This tramline will reduce the average trip by public transportation between the two cities from 70 minutes to approximately 30 minutes, greatly improving cross-border mobility.
In preparation of this tram line, preliminary (legal) studies have been performed, also on the topic of the authorization and competences of the Belgian tramway personnel. In this respect, some issues regarding the legal authorizations of Belgian tramway personnel on the Dutch part of the tramway have been identified, mostly related to the enforcement of rules in and around tram platforms.
