On Friday, François Bausch, Luxembourg's Minister for Sustainable Development and Infrastructure, Camille Gira, Secretary of State for Sustainable Development and Infrastructure, Lydie Polfer, Mayor of the City of Luxembourg, Patrick Goldschmidt, alderman responsible for mobility at the City of Luxembourg, and Robert L. Philippart, UNESCO Site Manager at the Ministry of Culture, presented the next steps in the construction of the tramway network in Luxembourg city.
December 2017: Launch (Pont Rouge - LuxExpo)
As planned, the first section of the tram was put into service on 10 December 2017 in Kirchberg, with 8 stations, including 2 exchange hubs, along 4km of tracks. A very positive first assessment has seen more than 17,000 travelers per day use the LuxTram service, well above initial estimates of 8,400 people/day.
In addition, 6,000 people/day take the funicular railway to/from the new Pfaffenthal railway station.
June 2018: Three new tram stations
In June 2018, the tram will cross the Pont Rouge and serve three new stations: Theater, Faïencerie et Stäreplaz/Etoile. Thanks to the (electrical) feeding system, the tram will run without overhead contact lines in the city and will integrate harmoniously into the urban area of Luxembourg-city.
2018 Summer - 2020 Q4 (Place de l'Etoile - Place de Paris):
2km of new tramway lines, without an overhead contact line, will be constructed. The work will start before the summer break in 2018 and will be carried out in several phases.
During the first phase of the preparatory work, all the underground networks of the Avenue de la Liberté will be redone. The Avenue de la Liberté is currently lined with two rows of 49 plane trees and 23 cherry trees, the roots of which are entangled in existing networks. Phytosanitary expertise indicates that 70% of the trees on the avenue are old specimens, some of which are in a state of proven weakness, and advises against performing important underground work near the roots. The tramway project requires in all cases the removal of about 16 specimens (at stations and intersections). The expertise conducted by the ARBOR design office concludes its investigations by indicating that the removal of old trees is sometimes the only solution to clear underground spaces sufficient for the development of new trees that will constitute the sustainable urban alignments of tomorrow.
The new layout of the Avenue de la Liberté reinforces the current historical perspective. The planting of 76 new large trees (height 8.00 to 10.00 metres) will structure the urban landscape through two alignments and a planting pace of great landscape coherence. The trees will be planted in tanks, to protect the networks of the roots and they will thus be able to develop sustainably with a great vitality and a very beautiful longevity.
A total of 12 new trams will be delivered in 2019 and the opening of this new section is planned for the second half of 2020.
