Luxembourg looks back at 3 years of free public transport

Luxembourg was the first country in the world to implement a free public transport service

The city has 36 million of travellers in Luxembourg City tramways and 14.5 million of train users prove the success of this initiative. While the network continues to grow…

Luxembourg has been the first country in the world to implement free public transports across the entire country. The measure targets in priority locals and commuters from neighbouring countries. But it also represents a great opportunity for foreign visitors who can venture all across the country without worrying about the cost of transportation.

The implementation of free public transport goes back to 2020. And it has been applied to all types of transportation in the country, from busses and tramways in Luxembourg City to public transports in other town as well as intercity trains and busses. The only exception to this free scheme is passengers wishing to travel in first class on trains need to pay.

It is still difficult to fully assess the impact of free public transport on travellers’ demand. The flagship measure launched in early 2020 was hit by a lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic, less than three months after being launched. Teleworking also reduced the use of transports. After two years – 2020 and 2021 – strongly affected by the pandemic, the year 2022 is close to pre-pandemic level of traffic on the rail network again. According to data from Luxembourg Ministry of Mobility and Public Infrastructure, over 50 million of travellers use public transport across the country.

More improvement inside Luxembourg and neighbouring countries

Recent improvements to the country’s rail connectivity include changes to its infrastructure to the South of the country and to France.

More investments are due to come. A very important link will be the connection in 2024 of the airport by tramway to Luxembourg City European District – Kirchberg Plateau – and to the City Central Station. Until 2035, transport extension will include a “high-speed tram” connecting the country to the country’s second largest city Esch-sur-Alzette. Another project is the modernisation of the rail line between Luxembourg and Brussels with new tracks and improved rolling material. The objective is to reduce the 3-hour travel time to 2h30 by 2027 and just two hours by 2030.

Article source: https://news.itb.com/topics/news/luxembourg-transport/