“The government will make mobility one of its priorities,” according to the government coalition agreement reached in November 2023. “Within the framework set out by the National Mobility Plan 2035 (PNM), the government's policy will focus on the concept of multimodal mobility aimed at improving public transport capacity (train, bus and tram) and developing soft mobility (bicycles and pedestrians). The government will also take the necessary measures to improve road traffic.”
The Frieden government's policy in this area is based on four pillars: sustainability, decarbonisation, digitalisation and dynamism. It is in line with the PNM 2035 presented in April 2022 and makes multimodality its cardinal value, as the mobility minister, , explained to MPs in December 2024.
Question of infrastructure
Mobility is first and foremost a question of infrastructure. The coalition agreement is ambitious on this point. Could it not be? First of all, it provides for an increase in the capacity of the rail network. The programme includes densifying the network, improving interconnections and possibly building new lines. The government will also seek to develop cross-border lines, and has set itself the goal of improving the Luxembourg-Brussels rail link, a long-running trouble spot. The national bus network RGTR will be the subject of an in-depth analysis with the aim of completely revising public transport timetables and better coordinating bus and train timetables. Overall, the range of services will be expanded.
The tramway, the flagship of Luxembourg's free transport system, will see its network expanded. Pending a tram link between Luxembourg City and Esch-sur-Alzette - a bill due to be tabled in parliament before the end of 2026 - tram line 1 will serve Findel airport. The line is scheduled to open to passengers in the first quarter of 2026. Four new lines are due to be built over the next few years, two of which have already been the subject of bills. The first line, called HOA, will run from the central train station to Hollerich. It will serve the future Nei Hollerich district and join the future Hollerich interchange at the Route d'Esch. The budget has been set at €29m.
The second line, called K2, will run from Rout Bréck-Pafendall station to the future Laangfur district in Kirchberg. Budget: €106m. The network should also be extended to the Route d'Arlon, with a station at the Josy Barthel stadium, and to the Route d'Esch. In addition, Luxtram should complete the installation of wifi on all trains by the end of 2025.
As for the road network, the government will study the implementation of dynamic traffic management, a more efficient organisation of traffic lanes and variable speed limits adapted to traffic conditions. A one-off overtaking ban for heavy goods vehicles will be introduced on motorways on working days at specific times.
Construction, construction!
The Luxembourg landscape will continue to be marked by construction projects. As far as motorways are concerned, the widening of the A3 from two to three lanes in both directions between the French border and the capital is progressing. The first section from the capital to the Berchem area is due to come into service shortly. Work on the A6 motorway between the Mamer/Capellen interchange and the Capellen service area, again in both directions, will continue until 2026. Work on the A4 motorway at the Pontpierre interchange will also continue until 2026.
Work is also continuing on the rails. As a consequence, there will be two further total interruptions to rail traffic between Bettembourg and Luxembourg in 2025. The first from 5 to 22 April, during the Easter holidays, to allow the replacement of rails between Berchem and Howald, the upgrading of Berchem station and the widening of the Livange viaduct. From 12 July to 15 September, traffic will be interrupted again to allow track renewal and the upgrading of Berchem and Howald stations. The platforms numbered 8 to 14 at Luxembourg station will be inaccessible at the same time.
Service will also be interrupted between Kleinbettingen and Bertrange - on the Arlon-Luxembourg line - from 15 to 25 February, between Luxembourg and Kleinbettingen from 5 to 22 April and between Kleinbettingen and Bertrange from 24 May to 2 June. On the northern line, there will be no trains between the capital and Ettelbruck from 19 July to 11 August. And to complete the picture, on the Trier line, there will be no trains between Sandweiler-Contern and Oetrange from 24 May to 2 June, nor between Luxembourg and Wasserbillig from 23 August to 15 September.
The car, a solitary pleasure
In Luxembourg, we love cars. When presenting the 2025 budget, finance minister reiterated the government's definition of multimodality: "Multimodal does not mean wrecking individual traffic. Multimodal means nothing other than the best possible combination of all forms of mobility. And in a country with vast rural areas, that also includes the car."
In October 2024, Statec counted 550,580 vehicles in the country, including 453,614 cars, 13,909 of which were electric. With 678 cars per 1,000 inhabitants, Luxembourg has the second highest car density in Europe, behind Italy (684). Motorists will be asked to share public space. The government is planning traffic calming measures, including 30km/h or 20km/h zones within localities and the introduction of mixed-use spaces. In return, motorists will be able to personalise their number plates, as is the practice in Belgium, for a fee. At present, personalisation is limited to a choice of five digits, or two letters and four digits. A bill to this effect will be presented to the cabinet shortly.
The car, that absolute solitary pleasure, is a reminder that mobility is also a question of user behaviour. The crux of the problem is “how do we get them to prefer public transport?” By encouraging them, not forcing them, as PM stated during the election campaign.
Encouragement, not coercion
Can teleworking be a relevant solution for reducing business and cross-border travel? It is becoming increasingly unlikely. After being seen as a miracle solution, companies are backtracking. According to a Statec report on work and social cohesion published in September 2024, between 2015 and 2019, only one in five people in employment used teleworking. With the covid confinements and restrictions, this figure soared to one in two, reaching an all-time high of 52% in the second quarter of 2020. Since then, although the level of teleworking has fallen, it remains at a high level, around twice that of before the pandemic.
In the first quarter of 2024, 38% of working people were teleworking. However, in addition to issues relating to the social insurance and tax treatment of teleworking for cross-border commuters, companies are reconsidering the advantages and disadvantages of this way of organising business, and the emerging trend is, if not a straightforward return to the office, then a strict limitation on the number of days worked from home, or even, in some cases, particularly in the financial sector, days spent in the satellite offices that have sprung up on the country's borders in recent years.
On the traffic flow front, "wherever possible", the construction of bypass roads will be accelerated and planned in a coherent manner at the busiest locations. Park-and-ride facilities will be created at regional level and close to borders, with good public transport links. Parking spaces can be reserved using a mobile application.
With this in mind, the Mobiliteit.Iu application will be improved to "make it more efficient and easier to use". The Digital Mobility Observatory, set up in 2023 to ensure effective planning and evaluation of mobility and transport policies, will be strengthened.
Budget allocation
The financial effort for mobility is commensurate with the commitments made. In the 2024 budget, current expenditure on mobility reached €1.6bn, including €856m for rail, €547m for buses and €24m for trams. Capital expenditure amounted to €452m, including €349m for rail and €57m for trams.
Under the 2025 budget, €4.135bn was allocated to mobility, transport and public works, or 13.4% of the total state budget. Just over half of this amount - €2.2bn - will be spent on mobility. Of this sum, investment will amount to €444m, including €372m for rail and €47m for the tram. The tram extension will cost €420m over the period 2025-2028. In 2025, the national railway CFL will receive 16 new railcars at a cost of €222m. Over the next four years, the Luxembourg government will invest around €4.3bn in rail and roads, €1.8bn via the road fund and €2.5bn via the rail fund.
Over the period 2024-2027, CFL will purchase new trains worth around €505m. In total, around €1.9bn will be spent on developing the rail network over the same period.
2040 national mobility plan
Tomorrow is being prepared today. From 14 January to 30 June 2025, the Ministry of Mobility is conducting the Luxmobil survey. The previous edition dates back to 2017 and led to the drafting of the National Mobility Plan (PNM) 2035. This survey will be used to draw up the PNM 2040 and facilitate the ministry's future strategic planning. A representative sample of 7,860 residents will be contacted by Ilres. Respondents will be asked about their travel behaviour and mobility needs. The survey consists of two parts: an initial telephone interview will focus on weekly journeys. At the end of this interview, participants will be asked if they agree to be contacted again on the following Monday to answer a few questions about their Saturday journeys. The results will be known towards the end of the year. The budget for the operation is €2.5m.
€7,837bn
This state has allocated a budget allocated of €7.837bn to the national railway CFL in return for operating public rail and bus transport services. This budget for the period 2025 to 2039 comprises €7.145bn for rail transport and €692.123m for bus services.
This article was written for the released on 29 January 2025. .
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