For the first time, the government has given a glimpse into the future of the 90 ares of land that has been freed up along the railway lines in Bonnevoie. When questioned by the MP Meris Sehovic (déi Gréng), the minister for Mobility and Public Works, Yuriko Backes (DP), presents this on Tuesday 1 September: a project aimed at creating a second façade for the central station.

CFL, the landowners and future project owners, are planning to develop the site to include a coach station, a “Kiss&Go” area (a short-stay drop-off zone for drivers, editor’s note), a few taxi ranks and a new passenger terminal. This building could house shops, services, secure bicycle storage areas and the facilities required for rail operations.

This detailed plan had not been made public until now. The extension of the central station, its new platforms and the footbridge linking it to Bonnevoie were already known, as was the construction of a CFL administrative building in the neighbourhood. The project unveiled in the ministerial response is separate and relates specifically to the recently vacated sites.

Upcoming feasibility studies

Access to the platforms and the historic forecourt will be assessed. The stated aim is to make it easier to reach the station on foot, by bike, by bus, by taxi or by car, and to make the railway facilities in Bonnevoie more accessible. However, the minister did not directly address the question of a possible redevelopment of the Bonnevoie ring road.

Housing remains, for the time being, outside the scope of the programme. The capital’s general development plan does not permit residential use in this part of the Gare zone. It does, however, permit the development of railway facilities, offices, hotels, shops, services and public infrastructure. The possibility of incorporating housing into the scheme must nevertheless be examined during the consultation process.

Detailed planning and feasibility studies are due to begin before the end of 2026. These will involve, in particular, the City of Luxembourg, the CFL, Luxtram, the Public Works Administration (Administration des ponts et chaussées in French) and the ministries of Mobility and Culture. At this stage, the programme therefore remains merely an intention: no budget, no start date for works and no completion deadline have been put forward.

In the meantime, CFL will use the site to park their buses whilst their new depot in Bonnevoie is being built. The forthcoming works will also need to be co-ordinated with the planned works on the historic forecourt, so as not to disrupt the station’s operations.