The board of directors of De Lijn has given its approval for the purchase of the new site.
After a long search, De Lijn has found a suitable site for the new depot in Asse. It concerns the plot on the business park of Mollem where today Syntra has its training center. The board of directors of De Lijn has given its approval for the purchase of the new site.
“To ensure good public transport and to realize the modal shift, De Lijn needs depots. I am therefore pleased that we can consolidate the future of our public transport organization in Asse.”
The search for a new site was far from easy. The new site not only had to be larger, have a suitable shape, be suitable for planning and permits, but above all, in order to keep the services cost-efficient, it had to be located within a certain demarcated zone. In concrete terms, the search area was limited to the Mollem Z.5 business park.
With the support of the local council of Asse, the eye finally fell on the Syntra site. Syntra plans to move in 2025. In anticipation of the move, De Lijn can already take all the preparatory steps: the actual purchase of the site, the design, the specifications, the permit application and the tender. A process that usually takes 24 to 30 months. Once Syntra has moved, De Lijn will also do everything possible to ensure that the move from the old to the new site takes place as quickly as possible, given all the steps that need to be taken.
“With the purchase of the 'Syntra' site on Assesteenweg, De Lijn will establish itself permanently in our municipality and we are pleased about this. The choice was made in full transparency and in consultation with the municipality, which has been asking for a resettlement of the depot in Stationsstraat for some time. The place close to the industrial zone and our own workmen's center is ideal both as a location and as a base for the busy lines (including Brussels-Aalst) that pass through Asse.”
The current depot has to be abandoned because it has become too small and, moreover, is no longer in accordance with the urban planning regulations due to an amendment to the municipal spatial implementation plan. Pending a new location, De Lijn has been granted a permit for the current depot until 2027, according to De Flemish Transport Company.
“Leaving our Syntra campus in Asse therefore does not mean that we are phasing out our training offer. A number of the courses currently running in Asse will be relocated to the other Syntra Midden-Vlaanderen campuses. For a number of courses, we look forward to continuing these in collaboration with our colleagues from Syntra-Brussels, but also in close collaboration with a Master Campus Flemish Brabant that has yet to be realized, where we would move into in partnership with the VDAB. We are currently also conducting a similar exercise in East Flanders.”
