The first generation of trams in Luxembourg ran from 1875 to 1964, before they were withdrawn from service and the tramways removed. A second generation of

tram A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which Rolling stock, vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some ...

s began operational service in December 2017, along a new route, completed in March 2025, that runs from Luxembourg Airport to the Cloche d'Or business district, in Gasperich, serving the new

national stadium Many countries have a national sport stadium, which typically serves as the primary or exclusive home for one or more of a country's national representative sports teams. The term is most often used in reference to an association football ...

, via Pfaffenthal-Kirchberg and

Luxembourg railway station Luxembourg railway station ( , , ), commonly referred to as the Gare, is the main railway station serving Luxembourg City, in southern Luxembourg. It is operated by Chemins de Fer Luxembourgeois, the state-owned railway company. As of 2022, the ...

s. Additional lines are planned for the network both within

Luxembourg City Luxembourg (; ; ), also known as Luxembourg City ( or ; ; or ), is the capital city of Luxembourg and the Communes of Luxembourg, country's most populous commune. Standing at the confluence of the Alzette and Pétrusse rivers in southern Luxe ...

, as well as extending to Strassen and

Esch-sur-Alzette Esch-sur-Alzette (, ; ; or ''Esch an der Alzig'') is a city in Luxembourg and the country's List of communes of Luxembourg by population, second-most populous commune, with a population of 36,625 inhabitants, . It lies in the south-west of the ...

. Trams have been

free of charge The adjective ''free'' in English is commonly used in one of two meanings: "at no monetary cost" (''gratis'') or "with little or no restriction" (''libre''). This ambiguity can cause issues where the distinction is important, as it often is in ...

since 29 February 2020, when all public transport in Luxembourg (buses, trams and trains) were made free at the point of use.

Contemporary and future usage

T1

The reintroduction of trams to

Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...

's transport infrastructure began in January 2015, with the construction of a tram depot on the edge of the Grünewald Forest and the Kirchberg quarter, and the laying of the first tracks of the new Tram Line 1 (T1) in July 2016. Trams provided by the Spanish company CAF began trials on the first phase of the route in July 2017. On 10 December 2017, the first phase of the route opened with trams running from the depot, along Avenue John F. Kennedy, past the European district, the location of many EU institutions, before terminating at the Grand Duchess Charlotte Bridge. Here, a new

funicular railway A funicular ( ) is a type of cable railway system that connects points along a railway track laid on a steep slope. The system is characterized by two counterbalanced carriages (also called cars or trains) permanently attached to opposite ends ...

was opened on the same date allowing passengers to descend to Pfaffenthal-Kirchberg railway station for access to national and international

heavy rail Various terms are used for passenger railway lines and equipment; the usage of these terms differs substantially between areas: Rapid transit A rapid transit system is an electric railway characterized by high speed (~) and rapid acceleratio ...

services running through the Pfaffenthal valley. The second phase opened on 27 July 2018, extending tram services across the Grand Duchess Charlotte Bridge to Place de l'Étoile in the Limpertsberg quarter. Opening on 13 December 2020, the third phase saw the line extend into the historical

Ville Haute The Ville Haute (, ; ; ) is a Quarters of Luxembourg City, quarter in central Luxembourg City, in southern Luxembourg. It is the historical district, historic center of Luxembourg City and is involved in its UNESCO World Heritage Site status. , th ...

quarter, across the Adolphe Bridge, along the Avenue de la Liberté, before terminating at

for interchanges between national and international heavy rail services. Work to widen and reinforce the Adolphe Bridge, first opened in 1903, to accommodate the tramway was completed in July 2017, with a new cycle and pedestrian lane suspended beneath the existing bridge. The fourth phase, opening in September 2022, extended the line from the central station to

Bonnevoie Bonnevoie (, ; ) is an area of south-eastern Luxembourg City, in southern Luxembourg. It is divided between the Quarters of Luxembourg City, quarters of North Bonnevoie-Verlorenkost and South Bonnevoie. It is the largest neighbourhood in the c ...

. On 7 July 2024, the fifth phase extended the line southwestwards from Bonnevoie, via Howald railway station to the business district in Cloche d'Or, Gasperich, before terminating at Luxembourg's new

. The final phase of the route, completed on 2 March 2025, extended the line eastwards from the tram depot on the edge of Kirchberg to Senningerberg before terminating at Luxembourg Airport. The completed line has 24 stations connected by of tracks, with a capacity of 10,000 passengers per hour in each direction.

Future lines

In October 2020, the Minister for Sustainable Development and Infrastructure,

François Bausch François Bausch (born 16 October 1956) is a Luxembourgish politician of the Greens who served as Second Deputy Prime Minister of Luxembourg from 2019 to 2023. He was a member of the Chamber of Deputies from 1989 to 1992, from 1994 to 2013 and ...

, presented detailed plans, of an initiative first announced in June 2018, for a future tramline, extending off the T1 line, alongside the A4 motorway to the north of Luxembourg's second most populous city,

, by 2028, and to the Belval quarter of the city, including the

University of Luxembourg The University of Luxembourg (French language, French: ''Université du Luxembourg''; German language, German: ''Universität Luxemburg''; Luxembourgish language, Luxembourgish: ''Universitéit Lëtzebuerg'') is a Public university, public researc ...

Belval campus, by 2035. Trams would be expected to reach speeds of up to when travelling through rural sections of the route. In conjunction, plans were announced to expand the network, with the creation of additional lines connected to T1 within, and in proximity to, Luxembourg City, serving amongst other areas, the planned Laangfur residential district in Kirchberg, via Boulevard Konrad Adenauer, and also via a revamped Place de l'Étoile interchange and Route d'Arlon, Strassen.

Rolling stock

Twenty-one

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

CAF Urbos100 trams were delivered in 2017, with a further twelve ordered in 2018. They are long, wide, high, with 75 seats and able to carry up to 422 passengers at a top speed of . To cope with a gap in the 750V DC

catenary In physics and geometry, a catenary ( , ) is the curve that an idealized hanging chain or wire rope, cable assumes under its own weight when supported only at its ends in a uniform gravitational field. The catenary curve has a U-like shape, ...

between "Rout Bréck - Pafendall" tram stop in Kirchberg (about east of Grand Duchess Charlotte Bridge) and the central railway station, the trams use CAF's ACR system.

Historical usage and museum

Luxembourg's first

horse-drawn tram A horsecar, horse-drawn tram, horse-drawn streetcar (U.S.), or horse-drawn railway (historical), is a tram or streetcar pulled by a horse. Summary The horse-drawn tram (horsecar) was an early form of public rail transport, which developed ou ...

line began operations in 1875 running through Luxembourg City along a line. Electrification followed in 1908. The original track followed a route from Luxembourg railway station through the city centre to Limpertsberg. It was extended to various parts of the city until 1930 when the network covered . Several lines were closed at the beginning of the 1960s as buses replaced the trams. The last tram ran on the line to Beggen on 5 September 1964. The country's other tram network Tramways Intercommunaux du Canton d'Esch served

and its surroundings from 1927 to 1956. A number of historic trams can be seen at Luxembourg City's tram and bus museum located on Rue de Bouillon in Hollerich. In particular, the museum exhibits two electric trams, two tram coaches, and a replica of a horse tram. There are also numerous models and photographs.

Gallery

Tram interiors

Tram stops

Green track tramlines

T1 line map

References

External links

Luxtram.lu

Luxembourg tram and funicular
at Public-transport.net

at Urbanrail.net {{DEFAULTSORT:Trams In Luxembourg Free public transport Passenger rail transport in Luxembourg