Luxembourg Government ponders fast tram connection between its two largest cities

This will significantly alleviate traffic on the motorway between Luxembourg City and Esch

Luxembourg authorities are considering building a fast tramway connection between the country's main economic poles. The plan of a tram connecting Luxembourg City with Esch running every seven minutes was presented by François Bausch, Minister for Mobility, on Wednesday.

He was joined by councillors from the two municipalities and from the municipalities Leudelange, Mondercange, Schifflange and Sanem that would also benefit from the project due to their geographical closeness.

Preparing the conditions for economic growth

Within ten years’ time, there could be a new, more convenient, faster and sustainable connection running between the capital of Luxembourg and the South Region. Upon presenting the project for rapid tram and its multimodal corridor, François Bausch underlined the importance of an attractive and efficient mobility offer between the two main economic centres.

The need for such a connection is justified by the fast development of the South Region and the South-West of Luxembourg City. The Ministry foresees a substantial growth in mobility in both directions. A future tram running every 7 minutes during rush hours with a journey of 14 minutes between the Cloche d'Or in Luxembourg City and the Alzette district in Esch-sur-Alzette could significantly facilitate this development.

Should everything go as planned, in 2030 a passenger should be able to go from Esch to Luxembourg in 14 minutes. Image: Bureau Schroeder & Associés

The presented project includes 13 new tram stations over 17.5 kilometres, including a 10-km stretch at a potential speed of 100 km/h; 5 new transit hubs; 1 new animal crossing and almost 20 related road projects, going from optimization of motorways to adaptation of motorway interchanges to calmer streets in adjacent localities.

The new multimodal corridor also has the potential to greatly alleviate the congestion on A4 motorway running between the two cities but also to help the southern municipalities to reorganize the entire mobility within their territories, while facilitating cultural and educational movement and the access to the airport.

Finally, Minister Bausch expressed his confidence that a preliminary financing bill for the project could be put forward before the end of 2022, so that the fast tramway could see the light of day in 2030.