On the same day as the opening of the first phase of the LuxTram project (in Kirchberg), as well as the funicular railway linkling Pfaffenthal and Kirchberg, new railway stations will open in both Pfaffenthal and Howald.
The Pfaffenthal railway station will allow commuters from the north of the Grand Duchy to disembark at Pfaffenthal ahead of the terminus at Luxembourg-Gare, with the new funicular railway bringing them up the steep side of the valley to Kirchberg; with the LuxTram service also starting on 10 December, those same commuters will then be able to take a tram along the Bld J.F. Kennedy all the way to LuxExpo the Box. In the future, when phase II of the LuxTram project is opened, commuters will have the option of also taking the LuxTram in the opposite direction, towards Luxembourg city centre.
On the same day, 10 December 2017, the new railway station in Howald will also open for the first time for passengers coming to/from Howald, Ban de Gasperich and Cloche d’Or districts. The CFL project is being undertaken in cooperation with other Luxembourg mobility providers, linking the Howald intermodal interchange with its outlying train station. From 10 December 2017, this new train station at Howald will be operational; then the works on the entire interchange will continue in order to prepare for its implementation in 2021. At this point an additional second platform will be constructed inside the new station.
Just like the Pfaffenthal-Kirchberg intermodal interchange, the project for the future Howald intermodal interchange is part of the actions undertaken by Luxembourg's Ministry of Sustainable Development and Infrastructure in order to better distribute traffic flows in the Grand Duchy, and in Luxembourg City in particular. The construction of this interchange with its outlying train station will make it possible to relieve congestion on the railway network , which has been at saturation point for some time now, particularly around Luxembourg-Gare.
Thanks to its location at a strategic point on the rail network, more precisely on the section of the line between Bettembourg and Luxembourg, which has very heavy traffic, this outlying train station is a vital link among all the interchanges planned in Luxembourg City, which will meet growing mobility needs in the Grand Duchy. This project aims to integrate rail transport with other forms of mobility such as bus and tram, and thus facilitate travel for passengers entering and leaving Luxembourg city and within the city.
Located at the heart of Ban de Gasperich, a booming economic development, the future outlying train station will play an important role as a key element of this interchange, in preparation for the high increase in the number of passengers travelling to the business districts to the south of the capital. This advantageous location will make transfers easier and offer quicker journey times for passengers.
From the 2017 timetable change onwards, the new terminal will be systematically integrated into the timetables of different CFL lines, including all trains of line 60 (Luxembourg – Esch / Alzette – Pétange – Rodange). Passengers of the trains of line 90 (Luxembourg – Thionville – Nancy) will also benefit from a direct access to the new station. 1 to 2 trains per hour offer convenient access to the new junction near the “Ban de Gasperich”. For passengers of line 10 (Luxembourg – Troisvierges – Gouvy) 1 train per hour will travel to the new station; On line 30 (Luxembourg – Wasserbillig – Trier) and on a temporary basis it will also be 1 train per hour.
