Several of Luxembourg’s biggest public infrastructure projects remain unfinished years after approval, launch or partial opening, despite officials insisting this week that most remain within budget and broadly on schedule. During hearings at the Chamber, MPs repeatedly pressed officials on projects where visible progress still appears limited years after plans were first approved.

Minister for Mobility and Public Works Yuriko Backes opened the discussions by telling MPs there were “no major problems to announce” on CFL and Fonds Belval projects, either financially or in terms of timing. But the mood sharpened as MPs questioned how long some major projects were taking to move from planning into visible construction.

Meris Sehovic, an MP for déi gréng, challenged CFL officials on several rail and logistics projects where the official status appeared unchanged from a year earlier. “These are all projects where, at the moment, there is no progress to see,” he said.

Plans versus visible progress

Marc Hoffmann, who presented CFL infrastructure updates to MPs, rejected the idea that projects had stalled simply because construction had not yet begun on site. “It is not that nothing is happening on those projects,” Hoffmann said, explaining that several remain in planning and design phases before works can start.

The exchange captured the broader tension running through the hearings. Luxembourg continues to prepare major rail links, public buildings and redevelopment districts, but many projects advance over very long timelines and through years of technical preparation before the public sees physical change. Officials repeatedly defended that sequencing as necessary for procurement, engineering and operational reasons, while MPs pushed back over the pace of visible delivery.

Esch 2022 legacy

The clearest example remains Belval, where former steelworks buildings converted into museums, exhibition halls and cultural venues for Esch 2022 – European Capital of Culture are still undergoing works years after the event itself ended.

Daniela Di Santo, director of Fonds Belval, told MPs that Covid disruption and tight deadlines before 2022 forced teams to postpone parts of the programme. “It was a very stressful period and with a very, very tight timetable,” she said. Di Santo added that project teams had to decide which elements could realistically be completed before the opening year. “We had to make strategic choices,” she told MPs.

Works are still planned or underway at several former industrial buildings in the Belval district, including the Möllerei exhibition hall, the Massenoire cultural centre and the Plancher de Coulée exhibition space beside the former blast furnaces. Some of those buildings still require better insulation, upgraded technical systems and further interior work before they can comfortably host exhibitions and public events throughout the year. “For the moment, we are in quite limited climatic conditions,” Di Santo said.

A district still under construction

The Esch 2022 infrastructure programme originally carried a legislative budget of €35.33 million. The authorised ceiling later rose to €40.2 million, while projected final costs now stand at just under €40 million.

Elsewhere at Belval, construction crews are still working around the preserved blast furnace structures, where lighting, landscaping and outdoor leisure facilities continue to be installed under the “Belval Outdoors” project more than a decade after the original redevelopment works began.

Research buildings at the site are also continuing to evolve after opening, with a final 10,000 square metre laboratory fit-out phase still being prepared for the University of Luxembourg and the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology.

Rail network under pressure

The rail projects presented to MPs showed a similar pattern: upgrades are advancing, but often across long schedules while stations and lines continue operating throughout the works.

The future Howald transport hub south of Luxembourg City is currently estimated at €152.8 million, with construction scheduled between 2028 and 2032. The planned Metzeschmelz rail station, intended to serve a future mixed-use district on former industrial land between Esch-sur-Alzette and Schifflange, is estimated at €123.5 million.

Hoffmann said the future redevelopment of Bettembourg station would have to be carried out in phases because trains must continue running throughout the project. “The aim is to keep the station operating for as much of the works as possible,” he told MPs.

The Bettembourg redevelopment is expected to continue until 2036 and includes new platforms, canopies, a pedestrian bridge, bus infrastructure and new track layouts intended to separate Dudelange passenger traffic from freight traffic.

Long delivery times

Questions about lengthy delivery schedules surfaced repeatedly during the hearings, particularly as MPs compared current project updates with earlier presentations.

Franz Fayot, president of parliament’s budget execution committee, acknowledged concern over infrastructure programmes stretching across very long periods. “The observation is that it often takes a very long time,” he said, while stressing that the comment was not intended as criticism of officials.

Backes rejected the idea that major public projects routinely take 20 years to complete, saying many complex schemes take closer to eight to 10 years once planning, procurement and technical procedures are taken into account. She said officials were trying to move projects forward as quickly as possible while still respecting legal and procurement requirements.

Next openings

Several projects are nevertheless approaching visible milestones. The new Archives nationales building at Belval is expected to begin welcoming staff from mid-May, ahead of a planned public opening in June and a formal inauguration later in the year.

The future Belval sports centre is also now under construction after temporary parking and replacement bus infrastructure first had to be created for the surrounding area. Earthworks and geothermal drilling are underway at the site, which is expected to open in 2029 and will serve schools, the University of Luxembourg, sports federations and the wider public.