The construction of an improved transport network is making progress in the French Grand Est region. On Tuesday, the region organised a new stage of its "Grenelle des Mobilités". The aim is to develop several "commitments" and "concrete proposals" to improve infrastructure.
Notably, several points are focused on transport to and from Luxembourg. Among them, the Nancy-Metz-Luxembourg RER project. The regional authorities talked about the construction, in several phases, of a "metropolitan express network" equivalent to the Parisian RER, with more trains (and therefore more people) running from Nancy to Metz, all the way to the Grand Duchy: "A train every ten minutes from Metz and a train every seven and a half minutes from Thionville to Luxembourg".
When she was still the French Minister for Transport, Elisabeth Borne already made that promise, which was supported by several local elected representatives. But its implementation will require the resolution of many problems.
A first step has been taken with the planned extension of the platforms of several stations north of Metz, in order to run longer trains by 2030. This project also required the purchase of several second-hand TER trains from other French regions. However, it will take until 2040 for this "REM" project to enter a second phase and fully meet the needs of users in the longer term.
The Grand Est region does not focus its transport strategy solely on trains. It mentions in particular the "A31bis", completed in the north by the widening of the Luxembourg A3, and the reduction of "solo drives" (in particular by creating a lane reserved for carpooling and/or public transport).
A potential problem is that the region, if it really considers it essential to coordinate its action with Luxembourg, will have to make major efforts to keep pace with the Grand Duchy. The latter has shown itself capable of financing its infrastructure projects more quickly and more easily.
