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 Residents and visitors to the city centre will soon have a series of no cost travel options, including trams LE GOUVERNEMENT DU GRAND-DUCHÉ DE Free for all public transport set to arrive in Luxembourg

Public transport will be free to use in Luxembourg public transport for nothing? “It is a from next year but the aim extends beyond curbing social measure,” the Minister says. “At the current time discussions are taking congestion; it is a change for the social good, the place around the world as to whether country’s Mobility Minister tells Mike Walter. a universal basic income should be introduced for everybody, or if services should be made free. I’m all for the ach morning 200,000 commuters government pledged last year to make second option and see public transport from , Germany and travel on buses, trains and trams in the “Future problems as a first step in that direction.” EBelgium cross into the small Grand Duchy of Luxembourg free from will only be François Bausch also says that free nation of Luxembourg to work, March 2020; a first for any country. resolved with public travel will help to promote the with many of those coming by car Allied to this is a commitment to a multi modal profile of mass transportation. contributing to already high levels of increase spending on public transport. society.” “Public transport should not just be François Bausch traffic congestion. “We have an enormous peak hour considered for people who don’t have Given that the country’s population problem,” explains François Bausch, the a car; high quality public transport is only around 600,000 and a large Minister for Mobility & Public Works. should be for everybody. Future proportion of those crossing the border “To resolve this we are making public problems will only be resolved if we head for the capital Luxembourg transport free, extending our classic have a multi modal society.” City (pop 120,000) it is clear the road rail network, introducing a new tram He adds that a loss of fare income network faces major pressures. system and building park and ride will not have a major effect on the In an effort to ease traffic a capacity around the border.” country’s finances. “The income today newly elected three party coalition But why allow people to travel on is already very low,” the Minister says.

New technology to help mobility

Trial of a new Mobility as a Service platform began guided to the nearest park and ride site to allow in Luxembourg at the end of February to provide onward travel by public transport. travellers with a multi modal journey planning tool The mLIVE service is linked to an e-ticketing and financial incentives to choose sustainable product known as the ‘mKaart’ that provides means of transport. The service is known as access to car sharing, electric vehicle charging

‘mLIVE’ and is set to be launched this autumn. stations, bicycle hire and secure bike storage. The  Bus travel is encouraged to relieve congestion “This concept gives you all the information service also takes data from an inter-modal traffic you need to organise your mobility,” says control system which tracks the progress of 1600 will not only allow users to see which travel option Christian Mousel of public transport authority buses across the country. is the fastest and most convenient, but allow Verkeiers Verbond. He adds that customers can Mobility Minister François Bausch says digital users to calculate the carbon footprint of onward be provided with alternative routes in real time tools are very important to improve how people journeys by each mode, giving “a complete if there are delays ahead, and motorists can be move around. He adds that the mLIVE concept picture” of their travel choices.

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Return of trams to the city and route extension to open soon

Trams returned to Luxembourg in provides direct access to the city December 2017 after a hiatus of 53 centre (see below and overleaf). years. A new line currently serves Each tram can carry up to 11 stations and extends between 400 people, as many as 100,000 Stareplaz-Etoile to the north of journeys are completed every day the capital city and Luxexpo to and tram frequencies will soon the east. improve from six to five minutes. Construction of an extension “Many of the stops allow for into the city centre is under way easy transfer to other transport and the route is to reach the modes and the line serves new airport by 2021. When complete, areas of business and residential the network will be 16km long and development,” says LuxTram include 24 stops. communications director Three of the current stations Françoise Frieden.  One of the new services and Françoise Frieden (right) of LuxTram allow interchange with other Much of the current route of transport modes, including one the tram serves the sprawling architecture practice Jan Gehl to people and accommodates 6000 served by a funicular railway that business district of Kirchberg and improve public spaces and make residents. In 10 years the area could takes passengers 200m down a Luxembourg’s Mobility Minister the area more ‘liveable’ for people. employ 65,000 and be home to hillside to a new railway station that François Bausch has commissioned Kirchberg today employs 42,000 30,000 people.

“We have the most attractive fares for  Gouvy Germany P+R A7 public transport in Europe, but ticket Belgium A1 sales only represent 7% of the cost.” Luxembourg • Luxembourg’s public transport is Luxexpo indeed good value: €4 buys a day ticket France P+R Airport Kirchberg P+R for unlimited travel around the country. A6 François Bausch acknowledges that Luxembourg services may become slightly more P+R City overcrowded when fees are scrapped, Stareplaz- Old City but adds that new infrastructure Etoile Pont Adolphe projects are completing each year to Gare P+R Centrale extend the network and provide Tram line more capacity. A1 Cloche Proposed tram Public transport spending per d’Or Railways capita (€600) in Luxembourg is said to P+R Main roads be larger than in any other European P+R Park and ride country, but the Minister adds that A4 A3 Funicular rail free public transport will not lead to a P+R  Congestion is a problem reduction in investment. “Both must work together. We are investing billions of euros in infrastructure by extending Rail infrastructure investment increases tram and train networks.” A new railway line is being built Six rail lines serve the country of Luxembourg and towards the south and later this year all have a stop at Gare Centrale in the capital city. two further rail projects are set to “We may be a small country but 23 million people complete: a doubling of track to the east use the trains every year,” says Alessandra and construction of a second viaduct Nonnweiler of government owned rail company crossing of a valley in . operator CFL which looks after all stations, rail The Minister adds he looks forward infrastructure and rolling stock. “The railway is to seeing the country’s tram extend into the backbone of the country’s public transport.” Luxembourg’s central railway station in A €350M contract for new trains was signed December 2020 and further south the last year, for delivery until 2024 and €3.9Bn of following autumn. railway investment is promised over the “The speed of investment is fast and next decade. I always try to speed up the process A new train station (pictured) opened recently further,” says the Minister, who has to the north of the capital city on a line towards asked those delivering the tram  Alessandra Nonnweiler at the new Pfaffenthal- Belgium to provide an interchange with the new extension to work around the clock > Kirchberg railway station to the north of the city funicular railway and the tram network up the hill.

April 2019 13 country profile

> and at weekends to build the line through the old city. There is often an expectation in society generally, the Minister adds, for congestion issues to be addressed by extending road capacity. “But that is the wrong philosophy; the important question is how many people you move, not how many cars you move.” Any road improvements must consider car-pooling, he points out. Work will begin later this year to widen a main highway towards France from four to six lanes, with the new lane in each direction reserved at peak hours for vehicles carrying a minimum of  The Pont Adolphe bridge features a suspended cycle deck and Dany Frank (right) with an electric bicycle three people and buses. Targets for the country over the next Active travel incorporated in ancient bridge six years include increasing the number of public transport passenger trips by Cyclists and pedestrians can now travel across the the road with private vehicles and pedestrians at 50% compared with 2017 and doubling impressive Pont Adolphe bridge in Luxembourg City the end of 2020. She adds that major alterations the number of cycle commutes of less on a dedicated path which is hung beneath the road to the original bridge were not allowed by Unesco. than 5km. With car sharing it aims to deck and between the bridge pillars. Users of the suspended platform are afforded increase average occupancy rates from The 150m long, 4m wide suspended platform magnificent views of the city through the arches. 1.2 to 1.5 people. over the Petrusse Valley opened 18 months ago. The cycle infrastructure forms part of a long For the school run, the Government This followed an extensive renovation of the 115 distance cycling route known as EuroVelo 5, would like to see bus journeys increase year old brick structure and the early installation of linking England with Italy. Florence Gregoire of the from 29% to 50%, walking trips of less tram lines on one side of the bridge. European Cyclists’ Federation welcomed the new than 1km go up from 58% to 75% and for Dany Frank of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg’s suspended cycleway. “We want to offer tourists cycle journeys of less than 5km to rise mobility department says: “Without the new and daily cyclists the possibility to ride on high from 3% to 15%. cycleway, riders on two wheels would have struggled quality routes inside cities to avoid high levels of François Bausch is a former deputy for room over the bridge when trams begin to share traffic as much as possible.” mayor of Luxembourg City and saw cycling rates in the capital increase from 1% of all journeys in 2005 to 4% today. Funicular railway takes the strain “What is interesting is the city has complicated topography with Thousands of office workers headed for the Kirchberg business valleys and hills, but that is not an district make use of a new funicular railway which completes a argument against providing cycling 38m ascent up a steep hillside in just 63 seconds. infrastructure,” he says, adding that The service links a railway station at Pfaffenthal serving and lifts can help those on two central Luxembourg at the bottom of the slope with a tram wheels get around. stop at Rout Bréck at the top. Since the funicular opened in Within a few years efforts to enhance December 2017, passengers can save themselves 15 minutes public transport will, the Minister of journey time and the bother of waiting for a bus. predicts, help elevate Luxembourg’s Two parallel tracks extend for 200m up the slope, at a international standing. “We want to be gradient of nearly one in five. Each track features two passenger one of the top 10 places in the world for vehicles. As one ascends and the other descends, they pass good quality of life.”  A vehicle on one of two 200m long tracks each other in the centre on a short stretch of double track.

Free transport: a view from Estonia Further considerations, he adds, included a need to contain the growth of private car Luxembourg will be the first country to offer free EU office Allan Alakula the step was taken after traffic in the city centre, make streets more public transport, but at least 100 cities around the cost of public transport was identified as the attractive for pedestrians and to reduce the world have abolished fares according to a number one concern for passengers at the start congestion and noise. study by Wojciech Keblowski of the Cosmopolis of the decade. How successful has the measure been? research centre in Belgium. “Something had to be done to sustain the “In regards to mobility for all, there is wide One of the largest cities to introduce the mobility of labour and those on low incomes,” he recognition of the social value of the policy. In measure is Tallinn in Estonia, where travel explains. “It was also presumed that free travel terms of car traffic a decrease of 6% has been became free on buses, trams and trolley buses would stimulate the consumption of local goods achieved in the city centre, but around the six years ago. According to the head of the city’s and services.” centre we observed a 4% increase in traffic.”

14 transportation professional