Rail Upgrades On Hold
Minister for Mobility Yuriko Backes confirmed that improvements to the train connection between Luxembourg and Brussels, often labelled the "Bummelzuch" (slow train) due to its three-hour journey time, will not arrive as soon as hoped and instead will only be ready in 2031.
Following her meeting with Belgian federal transport minister Jean-Luc Crucke, she recalled having signed a letter of intent a year ago with her Belgian counterpart, aiming to motivate Belgian stakeholders to finish the works, potentially by 2029. However, she conceded that yesterday's meeting clarified that that is really very unlikely, with 2031 now the best-case scenario for reducing travel time to about two hours and ten minutes between Brussels and Luxembourg.
Backes also addressed Belgium's planned motorway vignette, a toll system that could impact cross-border commuters. She stressed that an official draft from the Walloon region or elsewhere has not yet been received. Despite repeated requests and having already raised the issue with Belgium's federal government, she said that she would have hoped for a more "proactive dialogue" from the Walloon region. The only recent change is the negative opinion issued by the Social and Economic Council of Flanders (SERV) regarding the vignette.
She expressed concern over the potential impact on commuters, saying Luxembourg would prefer to see a "special zone" exempting cross-border workers from the vignette, to avoid discouraging people from crossing the border or pushing them to use side roads through small villages.
With the start of the school year approaching, Backes acknowledged expected road congestion and emphasised the complexity of improving mobility in Luxembourg. She pointed to the tram as a "real success story," noting the significant increase in users and ongoing investments such as the new tram depot and tram network extension. New rail projects, including the planned station at Hollerich and the Bettembourg-Luxembourg line, will also help, especially for cross-border workers.
Asked about forecasts that predict 86'000 more cars by 2035, Backes put this in context, explaining that since the last survey for the national mobility plan nine years ago, Luxembourg has 90'000 more residents and about 50'000 more cross-border workers. She announced that the results of a new mobility survey, Luxmobil 2025, carried out last year, will be presented in September and will serve as the basis for the next national mobility plan.