Credit: Ali Sahib, Chronicle.lu

On Wednesday 7 October 2026, CFL officially inaugurated the completely redesigned railway facilities of the new Howald Mobility Hub, which provides connections between trains, trams, buses, cars and bicycles.

The inauguration ceremony took place in the presence of Luxembourg's Minister for Mobility and Public Works Yuriko Backes, Diane Adehm, MP and Mayor of the Municipality of Hesperange, Maurice Bauer, First Alderman of the City of Luxembourg, Claude Lamberty and Jean Theis, aldermen of the Municipality of Hesperange, Jean-Paul Lickes, President of the CFL Board of Directors, Jeannot Waringo, Honorary President of CFL, Marc Wengler, Director General of CFL, Marc Hoffmann, Director of Infrastructure Management at CFL and the teams responsible for the project.

Speaking to Chronicle.lu, Minister Backes said: “It's essential that we have different forms of mobility that come together here. With the train, we have the tram, we have a bus, we have bicycle lanes, we have everything that comes together here, and that is really the essence of these mobility hubs: that people have the choice.”

She added: “We want to make their mobility in their everyday life, whether it's for pleasure, whether it's for work, as efficient as possible. And this mobility hub makes that for the trains more efficient. We have longer trains that are able to come here. We have trains that don't need to wait for one to depart for the next to come in, which will have an impact also on the punctuality of the trains.”

The modernisation of the infrastructure at Howald railway stop was completed at the end of summer 2026, including the installation of eight escalator elements weighing seven tonnes each, as well as the completion of work on the platform canopies and technical installations.

More than 3,000 passengers board or leave trains at Howald every day. The stop is served on average by four trains per hour in both directions on the Luxembourg-Esch-sur-Alzette-Rodange line and two trains per hour in both directions on the Lorraine corridor.

The two platforms are at least 250 metres long and can accommodate trains of up to nine carriages. The facilities include stairs, lifts and escalators, as well as a footbridge across the railway tracks providing access to the bus station and tram stop. A nearby P+R has 1,451 parking spaces, while a cycle and pedestrian path and a secure Bikebox bicycle parking facility are also available.

Minister Backes also highlighted accessibility at the new hub: “What's also important for me is that this hub is accessible for people with reduced mobility. We want to provide good mobility for everyone. So this has been taken into consideration in the construction of this station also for people with reduced mobility.”

The Howald Mobility Hub forms part of a series of structural works carried out by CFL over several years to modernise and significantly increase the capacity of the rail network. Howald will be a key component of the future additional seven-kilometre double-track line between Luxembourg and Bettembourg, which is scheduled to enter service in September 2027.

Speaking to Chronicle.lu, Marc Wengler, Director General of CFL, described Howald as part of a wider concept for Luxembourg's rail network. He said: “Our vision is that each line, we have six main lines, and all the lines come together in Luxembourg, could be served and isolated. If you have a problem on one line, it should have nothing to do with another line, which is the case today.”

Referring to the new Luxembourg-Bettembourg line, he added: “Once the new line between Luxembourg and Bettembourg comes into operation in September next year, the two lines will be able to operate separately. That will mean that it will be much more robust. Punctuality will be better because there will not be disruption from one line to another and there will no longer be crossings.”

Once the new line opens, each platform at Howald will have its own use. The new platform, which entered service in March 2025, will serve the existing Luxembourg-Esch-sur-Alzette-Rodange line and trains connecting the north and south of the country via Luxembourg Central Station. The platform in service since 2017 will be used by trains on the Lorraine corridor using the new Luxembourg-Bettembourg line.

According to CFL, operating the two lines separately will prevent delays on one line from affecting trains on the other.