Public Transport An ‘Essential Pillar’ to Luxembourg’s Mobility, Says Minister Backes

On Thursday 3 September 2026, Luxembourg’s Ministry of Mobility and Public Works reported on the meeting of Yuriko Backes, Luxembourg’s Minister for Mobility and Public Works, and Mohamed Mezghani, Secretary General of the International Association of Public Transport (UITP).

According to the ministry, during the meeting on Thursday 3 September Minister Backes reaffirmed the importance of public transport and multimodality in Luxembourg’s mobility strategy and discussions focused on mobility hubs, the resilience of transport networks and taking the gender dimension into account in mobility.

“Public transport is an essential pillar of our mobility strategy. By working with the UITP, we benefit from recognised international expertise that enables us to develop increasingly innovative, inclusive and resilient solutions. Effective mobility is mobility that meets the needs of everyone by offering attractive, suitable, accessible and comfortable alternatives,” Minister Backes emphasised during the meeting with the Secretary General.

The ministry detailed that discussions highlighted the excellent collaboration already under way, particularly as part of the project to transform mobility hubs in Luxembourg and said that this cooperation is helping to position Luxembourg as a laboratory for ideas for more integrated, clearer and more attractive mobility for users. The work carried out with UITP experts is already contributing to the organisation’s international discussions on the integrated design and cross-sectoral governance of mobility hubs.

Better Integrating Women’s Realities into Mobility Policies

The ministry highlighted that particular attention was paid to the issue of gender in transport and infrastructure. Minister Backes stressed the importance of better taking into account the specific needs of women, who make greater use of public transport in connection with their professional, family and personal responsibilities. In this context, collaboration with the association Femmes en mouvement, which is involved in the work of the National Mobility Plan 2040, is helping to develop more inclusive and safer infrastructure and services that are better adapted to the diversity of needs and expectations.

Moreover, the discussions also covered adapting transport networks to extreme weather events, as well as cybersecurity and continuity-of-service challenges for public transport.

At the end of the meeting, the minister and the Secretary General expressed their desire to continue and deepen their cooperation in the years ahead, particularly in the areas of developing mobility hubs and integrating mobility, spatial planning and urban development.