Local Public Transit (the TEC)

In Wallonia, the local public transit is referred to as the "TEC".

photo: Aron de Jong

If the TEC is running, it will probably be running on time, and will do a satisfactory job of taking you where you were hoping to go.  If you are an "English-only" visitor to Liège, you will be able to use the TEC website to determine how to get from point A to point B using the "Itineraries" tab.

A single fare in Liège is €1.60.  We recommend that if you are planning to take several trips that you purchase either a single-day pass (unlimited trips in one day for €3.20), a three-day pass (unlimited trips over three consecutive days for €6.40).  The same sort of unlimited-travel pass is also available to cover trips anywhere in the Walloon region, with the single-day ticket costing €7.00 and the 3-day ticket €14.00

One problem with the TEC however, is that if you are an "English only" user you might not know when they are on strike.

illustration: Stephan Pire

In theory, the TEC is supposed to run every day of the year, starting around 5am and finishing around midnight daily.  The problem is that the TEC often go on strike here in Liège.  In the past 6 months, Liège has seen 7 TEC strikes, many of them lasting more than one day, and several being illegal strikes without advance notice to the public (who rely on them to get to and from work and school, among other things!)

It is not an easy bit of information to find on the TEC website even in French, to see if there is a strike.  If you're using the English version of the site, you'll simply see "under construction" on the page where this information should be present.  So, how to find out if the buses are running?  One must select the "Group TEC" tab on the site, and then choose the appropriate sub-tabs of "votre TEC régional" and then "TEC Liège-Verviers" to see about any service disruptions.  (To my English mind it seems a little like the administrations embarrassment; tucking this important information away in the corner like that.)  If you're on your own and don't speak French, click the link we've posted just above, and look for the words "grève" (strike) or "perturbations de reseau" (disruptions to service), while hoping the site has been updated quickly to reflect the strike, particularly if it is of the impromptu variety.

We'd like to take this moment to point out to the TEC (as clearly they have someone who handles their English communications,) that this sort of thing can ruin a tourists experience of Liège.  It's not just that visitors to the city can't get around so easily, but there is also the greater potential that a transit strike could cause someone to miss their train or plane, putting in absolute disarray their return home, their flight connections, or their hotel reservations elsewhere.  It does no good for business in Liège either if people can't get to their meetings and conferences on time, and in the end it does little good for the TEC, since every day the busses don't move, thousands of dollars in revenue for the TEC itself are lost.

As you may have guessed, Tchantches and I are not fans of the TEC.

I was ok with them until they stopped working.  Tchantches informs me that though it is particularly ridiculous right now, the TEC has been disfunctional for as long as he can remember.

We feel strikes like these are not only pointless, but that it's extremely disrespectful to the inhabitants of Liège, the visitors to the city, and the businesses that power its economy that such internal troubles in the TEC organization are publicly aired in a way that hurts the rest of the city.  Commentary in local newspapers show that much of the population in and around Liège is quite upset with the situation.

We rate the TEC to be a poor-value service, as its primary function is to have the buses rolling, with regularity, and on time.  Clearly, regularity of service is a concern.  We'd love to suggest that the TEC do what many other transit systems of the world do when expressing grievances with their management: strike by refusing to collect riders fares.  This is a tactic that I'd assume draws much more concern from management than the tactic of holding the public hostage.  The public is more likely to support you in your labour action if you don't anger them by mucking up their work/school lives or travels.

If the TEC functioned as it ought to, which is to say daily, with minimal disruptions in service for good reason (such as heavy snow,) we would say it was ordinary and satisfactory, as transit systems go.  But for the time-being it isn't, and so we feel it fair to warn you.  Due to all the disruptions in service over the past months, we've taken quite a shine to using our bikes or a car when needed, and we recommend that when coming to Liège you have a "plan B" tucked up your sleeve, too, just in case.  By doing this you can assure yourself a "bon voyage".

The Touristram - a spin through Liège.

The other day while we were out walking the Touristram rolled by, reminding me that I'd planned to make an entry about it.  Tchantches and I decided to "value test" the Touristram for you the following evening, and fortunately we were just in time to catch the last one of the day.  We each forked over 5 Euro, piled on-board, and away we went...

A few things to note about the Touristram:

---Though several interesting places in Liège can be seen while on the tram, many receive no mention in the commentary, and for those sights discussed in the commentary very little history is given.
---The tram is not a "hop on, hop off" affair.  We'd like to suggest to the City of Liège that if this were changed, it would instantly make the Touristram a better value for tourists.  This way if they found the brief descriptions offered on-board intriguing, they could always get off the tram and explore a sight.
---Announcements are not in English, only in French followed by Dutch.
---Announcements are not always well timed - you may have rolled passed the site being commented on already, or not have yet arrived at it when the announcements tell you where it is and what it is you are supposed to be seeing.
---Whenever something is "directly in front of the tram", you cannot see it, because the roof of the tram (which is mostly wood with only a tiny sunroof) blocks the view.  One realizes once inside the tram that they are not the best vehicle for sightseeing... more windows and less wood would be ideal.
---Be warned if you don't have much posterior cushioning of your own... it's a bumpy ride.

---The music played on the tram while moving between sights varies from traditional classical to booming and moody Wagner.

---Note that if the local traffic is cooperative, the ride will be a good half-hour shorter than the 1 and a quarter hours advertised as the length of the tour.  Our general sentiment at the end of the ride was "That's it?"

We did learn a thing or two about Liège that we hadn't known previously, but we'd say that at $5 a pop, you might as well get a map or guide-book, and walk or bike about visiting the sites that interest you most in Liège.  It's not that the Touristram couldn't be good (with a few changes made,) it's just that right now, it isn't a great value.

Adults = 5 Euro
65 and up = 4.5 Euro
4-12 yrs = 3.5 Euro
0-4 yrs = Free
(There is supposed to be a discounted fare for those in possession of the Liège City Pass, but when we asked the Touristram driver/ticket-vendor about this, he knew nothing of it...)

The Touristram departs from Place Saint-Lambert (pictured above) Tuesday through Sunday at:
12 noon, 1:30pm, 3pm, 4:30pm.

Guillemins

Unless you've taken a taxi or driven in, your first contact with Liège is likely to involve the Liège Guillemins train-station.

The new Guillemins station, designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, was inaugerated on September 18th, 2009 with a multimedia spectacle by Franco Dragone (the designer of many Cirque du Soliel performances.)  The new station was built on the site of the old, and the civic replanning of the surrounding area to accommodate the larger building and architects vision has helped to improve the quarter.  Slowly, we see more upscale offerings moving into the area.

Immediately accessible within the station concourse (situated one level below the train-platforms) you will find:

The Maison Tourisme - Here there are maps and pamphlets for various attractions in the region, and there is a multilingual person on-hand to advise tourists.  As well, the TEC (local public transport) provides information and sells transport fares here.
A Vending Nook - This area contains several food and beverage vending machines as well as photo-booths and automated banking-machines.
L'espress "oh" Juice - Here you can find made-to-order juices and smoothies, coffees and a small selection of hand-prepared snacks.
Crocantine - This small shop offers pre-packaged snacks, beverages and a selection of candies.
Leonidas - A boutique offering Leonidas brand chocolates and other small gift items.
Victoria - A wide variety of stylish accessories for both men and women are sold here, including Guess, DKNY, Diesel, Storm, Swatch, Esprit, and Fossil, among others.
Les Jardins D'Iris - A design-focussed florist offering flowers, plants, and decorative gifts.
Point Chaud - A chain-café in Belgium offering sandwiches made to order, coffee, croissants, and other pastries.
Relay - A newsstand selling magazines, books, chocolates, potato crisps, stuffed toys, stationary supplies and small souvenirs.
Cucina - A resto-café boasting an excelsior espresso machine, Harney & Sons teas, and a large pastry case offering a variety of sweet and savory snacks as possible accompaniments to your beverage.
Pharmacie - Pharmacies here normally have a small selection of items in the store-area in front of the counter, though they actually offer a much wider selection of products than can be seen.  It will be necessary to speak to the Pharmacist if you do not see what you are looking for in front of the counter.  Even if what you seek is not a medication, it may still be stored behind the counter!  Closed Sundays, limited morning hours on Saturdays.
Café de la Grande Gare  - A newly opened upscale-brasserie offering attractive seating, a good selection of beer and wine, champagne, a menu that includes meals, snacks, desserts and local specialities, as well as several kinds of tea or coffee.

Louis Delhaize.  A smallish grocery store with reasonable pricing considering the location.  Though it is situated in the station, there is currently no point of entry from inside the main concourse, so you must exit the station and enter via their separate entrance, to the side of the main station entrance.  Here you can find fresh produce, dry grocery staples, pet food, alcohols, DVDs, pre-packaged meals (fresh and frozen), sandwiches, candies, personal care items and grooming products.  It is possible to purchase postage stamps and to post items at the cash register.

Station facilities:  Currently there are 500 spaces available in the on-site car-park, with 300 more due to open soon.  There is a luggage-locker area where bags may be secured for 24 hours at a time, and these facilities are surveyed by CCTV.  Attached is a bike-parking/lockup area (locking up your bike here is free, but we recommend you do yourself and your bike a favour by using a good lock.)  Next door to the luggage lockers and bike lockup part of the station is the "Maison du Cyclisme", where a variety of bikes (electric, folding, normal) can be rented or serviced for repair, and where cycling maps for the area are found.  The external entrance to these facilities is located just next to the Louis Delhaize.

Should you have any comments to make concerning the station or the surrounding area, Eurogare, the consultancy responsible for revitalization and development of rail-properties in Belgium would be happy to hear from you.