Joanne heads up production and events at the Luxembourg City Film Festival. For the 2019 edition, her team was setting up shuttles to transport professionals from one venue to another in Luxembourg City, she recalls. "Today, guests and professionals alike, everyone takes the Tram!It only takes a few minutes to get to the cinematheque, Utopia or Kinepolis, it runs every two minutes and it's free!”
Soon, this first Tram line will be given an extension out to Findel airport or the Cloche d'Or business district.
In addition to simplifying the organisation of transport for her work, Joanne also travels to the office by bus every morning. "I’ve lived in a village near Olm in the canton of Capellen for six years. At first, there was a bus every hour to the city centre. Now I have a lot more options. New lines, timetables and stops are regularly created. And every time, I get a letter in my mailbox. We’re very well informed about the possibilities, it's a real incentive.”
For Nicolas too, it makes sense to take the bus every day. In charge of digital marketing for a start-up in Hamilius, he takes line 2 every day to get to the city centre from his flat in Bonnevoie. "The bus is always on time, I always have a seat. I can be at work in 20 minutes max., whereas it would take me 40 minutes to walk. The only exception is on sunny days, when Nicolas abandons the bus in favour of a Vel’Oh, the self-service electric bikes made available by the city of Luxembourg.
Joris lives in a village near Longwy on the other side of the French border. He takes the train every day and can even choose between the French SNCF trains (every half hour) and Luxembourg’s CFL trains (every 18 minutes). Which does he prefer? The Luxembourg company wins hands down: "There are hardly any delays. When it does happen, it's only five minutes and on top of that they apologise over the microphone! ” he confides, amazed.
However, Joris also makes the journey by car from time to time. When he visits a friend at the end of the day, for example. In this case, he still instinctively combines his mobility options. "I park at the Bouillon P+R and take a bus. It's quicker and cheaper, as there’s no free parking near my office in the station district.” Find all the parking and P+R solutions on the city of Luxembourg website.
There are 4 good reasons:
Travelling from the station to Kirchberg by bus used to take 40 minutes at peak times in 2019. Since the arrival of the Tram, the journey time has been cut to 15 minutes today.
Luxembourg is the first country in the world to offer free transport since March 2020. Trams, buses, trains: whether you’re a resident or a cross-border commuter, you can forget about your ticket, everything is free within the country's borders (except first class). "I come from Strasbourg but I lived in Paris and Montreal before moving to Luxembourg," says Joanne. "Buying a transport card took a big bite out of my budget when I was a student. Nowadays, having free transport is a huge advantage.”
Today, 10% of the kilometres travelled by bus in the country are powered by electricity. In 2025, the objective is to reach 45% of the network in the run-up to a 100% electrified or "zero emission" network in 2030.
Rosie lives in the Station district of Luxembourg and works in Bertrange. Even though she has a car, she prefers to take the bus to work every day. “I like to start my day by meeting colleagues who live in the same neighbourhood at the bus stop. We have a nice routine. Sometimes we stop for a coffee downstairs before going up to the office. And then, at the end of the day, I don't have to circle endlessly looking for a place to park.
Find all the information you need to plan your train, tram or bus journeys (timetables, routes, stops, delays, etc.) on the Mobiliteit application available on the AppStore or Google Play or even on the website mobiliteit.lu.
However, outside Luxembourg City, the Grand Duchy remains a rather rural country. Do you know the Mullerthal (Luxembourg's Little Switzerland)? Vianden, Clervaux or Haute-Sûre lake? To take in the beauty of these exceptional landscapes, driving is the easiest solution.