The tram is due to arrive at the Cloche d’Or in May 2024, with the first tests scheduled for this November. But to get there, it will have to pass through Howald via the Rue des Scillas, and more specifically on a plot of land owned by the Olos Fund.

This joint fund, whose ownership is being disputed in court by Flavio Becca and Eric Lux, is managed by an independent administrator. As an indirect consequence, discussions between the government and the Olos Fund on the use of part of the land for the tram have stalled, forcing the state to initiate expropriation proceedings.

In order to keep the tram on schedule, the government had decided to run the tram on a single track on this section of the route until another solution could be found.

This stopgap now has an end in sight, however. Having already resolved a similar land issue with Béton Feidt, the government has managed to reach an agreement with the Olos Fund, the details of which are not known.

Asked about it at a circular economy press conference, mobility and public works minister  (déi Gréng) confirmed this information, and stated that the tram will indeed be able to run on two lanes on its entire way through Howald. But not yet.

The agreement was reached after the planning work had begun. The tram will therefore initially run on a single track, with a frequency of six minutes instead of four, and the work on the second track will be carried out at a later date. The minister has assured us that the implementation of the second track will not prevent the tram from running during this time. A bus lane is also to be built alongside the tram track, which will take buses to the bus station.

The extension on the Findel side is, the minister also confirmed, planned for October 2024.

This article in Paperjam. It has been translated and edited for Delano.