From 14 December onwards, one additional train will be laid on per hour in peak times from Marbehan, Belgium, to Luxembourg City. In the evenings, another additional train will be added per hour in the reverse direction, offering relief for commuters. "We'd started to get used to it," acknowledges Fanny, who travels into Arlon four days a week. "It's hard to believe my mornings could be less of a pain from next winter."
Geoffrey, who has been driving to work for two years, says: "I don't know if it will have an impact on motorway traffic. I'll wait a few months before coming to any conclusions."
Following the extension of the rail link to Libramont, this announcement complements the commitments made by CFL and SNCB a year ago with the aim of improving traffic flow and attracting more cross-border workers. The additional peak time services were announced on Thursday during a bilateral meeting between Belgium and Luxembourg. The Grand Duchy's Minister of Mobility and Public Works, Yuriko Backes, met with her Belgian counterpart, Minister Jean-Luc Crucke, on site.
The ministers took the opportunity to travel a short distance together and take stock of the projects. After a stop at Marbehan station and the Habay park-and-ride, the group headed to Viville station on the outskirts of Arlon: a symbolic stop and a chance to reopen a project that has been discussed for over 10 years.
The former SNCB workshops at this location have been the subject of much speculation. The idea of a park-and-ride facility, championed by the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, was rejected by the Belgian authorities, resulting in a stalemate. As priorities shifted and discussions were postponed, the site was largely ignored until the ministers raised the topic again this week. "I understand the municipality of Arlon's needs in terms of industrial and economic potential", Crucke told reporters. "But I also understand the SNCB has to deal with enormous expenses and has to make savings. My job will be to relaunch talks in September, with Luxembourg's help."
While Backes strongly supports the project, it remains to be seen how Luxembourg can back it in more concrete terms than just words. During her visit, the minister did, however, welcome the emerging solutions involving the construction of parking facilities. Two hundred spaces will be available in Habay by 2028, 71 of which will be created as early as December of this year.
This convergence of ideas warms relations which had become slightly strained since the announcement of the controversial vignette that the Belgians want to make mandatory from May 2027 on certain road routes.
