Ten facts about the tram as it arrives at Luxembourg airport

From 2 March, passengers will be able to travel to Luxembourg’s airport in Findel by tram, nearly eight years after the first section in Kirchberg opened in December 2017. With more routes planned for the future, here are ten key facts about the latest extension.

3.9km long

This is the length of the section that will be brought into service on Sunday. It will link Luxexpo station, the current tram terminus in the north-east of the capital, to Luxembourg’s airport in Findel. This section is the last piece of the tram’s line no. 1. The total length of the route from the stadium in Cloche d’Or to the airport in Findel – via Howald, the Gare district, the city centre and Kirchberg – is now roughly 15km.

Two new stops

From Luxexpo, the tram crosses over the A1 (the motorway to Trier) before running alongside it. The new section is bordered by the Grünewald forest and the Golf-Club Grand-Ducal before arriving at the airport. Two new stations will be served: “Héienhaff P+R” and “Findel-Luxembourg Airport”, the new terminus and only stop with an English announcement. This brings the total number of stops on the route to 24.

Every eight minutes

These two new stations will be served every eight minutes by the tram. This is the same frequency as between the “Lycée Bouneweg” and “Stadion” stations, at the other end of the route, while between “Lycée Bouneweg” and “Luxexpo” there is a tram every four minutes on average. This means that not every tram from the central station or the upper town will go to the airport, but one in two will. Be sure to check your destination before boarding.

70km/h along the forest

When driving through the urban areas of the capital, the tram’s speed is limited to 50km/h. On a part of the new section, it will be able to go a little faster. For the two kilometres along the Grünewald, the maximum speed will be 70km/h. It will take around seven minutes, including stops, to cover the four kilometres between Luxexpo and the airport.

The route of the last section of the tram line. © Photo credit: DR/Luxtram

A 110-metre viaduct

Before skirting this wooded area, the tram will cross over the A1 motorway in the direction from Luxexpo to the airport via a 110 metre long curved bridge. In the summer of 2022, André von der Marck, then managing director of Luxtram (Helge Dorstewitz succeeded him last June), described the structure as follows: “It will be extremely elegant, it will snake over the motorway and will be illuminated at night […] It will be like an entrance to the city, it will be the first structure that motorists will see and pass on their way from Trier.”

A new bridge spans the A1 motorway © Photo credit: Christophe Olinger

8.6 hectares of trees replanted

3.2 hectares of the Grünewald forest had to be cleared for the construction site and the route of this section of the tram. Compensatory environmental measures were taken: in particular, a total of 8.6 hectares of trees – oaks and beeches – were replanted on plots of land in Junglinster, Lorentzweiler and Niederanven.

The tram runs alongside the A1 motorway and through part of the Grünewald forest. 3.2 hectares had to be cleared © Photo credit: Christophe Olinger

40 months of work

The felling of trees along the motorway was the first stage of works on the final section of the tram line, between Luxexpo and the airport. Work began at the end of October 2021. Not quite three and a half years (or 40 months) later, this section has been put into service for passenger transport, with tests having been carried out since 10 December last year.

A cost of €100 million

Building a viaduct over the motorway, clearing and preparing the land, building two underpasses outside of the airport, laying the tracks and all the necessary installations over 3.9 km, building two new stations… In total, this last section between Luxexpo and Findel represents a cost of some €100 million.

In addition to the viaduct over the motorway, there are two underpasses along the route © Photo credit: Christophe Olinger

2,640 days for the first line

The first section of the tram was inaugurated on 10 December 2017: 3.5 km in Kirchberg, between the “Rout Bréck-Pafendall” and “Luxexpo” stations. The last section between “Luxexpo” and “Findel-Luxembourg Airport” will launch on 2 March 2025.

It will therefore take 2,640 days for the entire length of Line 1 to become operational. As a reminder, on 27 July 2018, the tram’s route was extended as far as Place de l’Étoile. Then, on 13 December 2020, it then reached the central train station.

On 11 September 2022, two stations were added to the route: “Dernier sol” and “Lycée Bonnevoie”. Finally, the last extension dates from 7 July 2024, all the way to the the national stadium, via the Boulevard des Scillas and the Cloche d’Or, passing through the Howald multimodal interchange.

A 4,000-space P+R in the future

Although the final section of the tram starts on 2 March, not all the planned works along its route will be completed. A multimodal interchange is planned at the Héienhaff station. Although two bus platforms will be operational at the start of the journey, it will be some time before we see the 4,000-space P+R that has been announced for this location. No date has been given, as studies are ongoing. In the meantime, 350 to 400 spaces will be available.

New bus stops

With the arrival of the tram at the airport, new bus stops are being added for services along the route, with the aim of optimising journeys and connections for users.

“In order to guarantee efficient access to the airport, the ‘Aéroport Luxembourg/Findel Quai 5’ and ‘Aéroport Luxembourg/Findel Quai 6’ bus stops will be built on the Route de Trèves (N1) and close to the airport’s Parking A exit,” the public transport authority said in a press release. These stops will be served by lines 6, 16 and 29 of the Luxembourg City buses (AVL) and lines 223, 302, 361 and 850 of the RGTR network.

In addition, with the arrival of the tram at the Héienhaff P+R stop, the ‘Senningerberg, Héienhaff’ bus stop on the Route de Trèves (N1) will be brought into service. It will be served by the AVL (6, 16 and 29) and RGTR (223, 361 and 850) bus routes, and will provide a seamless connection with the tram.

(This story was first published on Virgule. Translated and edited by Cordula Schnuer)