The Kingdom of Belgium and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg request the European Union to help fund better cross-border rail connections between the two neighbouring countries. 

Belgian Minister of Mobility George Gilkinet (Ecolo) hosted Luxembourgish Minister of Defense, Minister for Mobility & Public Works, Minister for Gender Equality & Diversity Yuriko Backes (Democratic Party) for the first official bilateral meeting regarding mobility.

This meeting follows the signing of a letter of intent to strengthen rail cooperation between the two countries by Gilkinet and then Luxembourg’s Minister of Mobility François Bausch (The Greens) in October 2023. 

Belgium and Luxembourg aim to bolster train connections between each other, as 45,000 people commute daily. It’s not uncommon for workers to live in ‘cheap’ Belgium and to work in better-paying Luxembourg. 

Letter of intent

What do the excellencies want? 

• “A new fast train between Brussels and Luxembourg City, accelerating the modernization work on Axis 3. To quickly and efficiently connect our two capitals, we have also sent a joint appeal to the European Commission with a view to obtaining support financial support for the completion of this work”, Minister Gilkinet says on LinkedIn.
• Doubled frequencies on the existing IC link, where brand new M7 cars have just arrived.
• A direct connection between Luxembourg and Libramont, which will eventually run twice per hour and without commuters having to change trains.

This pledge has the support of the Belgian national railway company NMBS / SNCB and Luxembourg’s operator Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Luxembourgeois (CFL)

European money

The ongoing modernisation initiative for the Brussels-Luxembourg railway axis is a project within the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) and the strategic North Sea – Mediterranean Sea corridor. 

The ministers signed a letter of support, appealing for financial aid from the European Commission under the Connecting Europe Facility programme. This EU funding mechanism aims to direct investments into European transport, energy, and digital infrastructures to address gaps and bottlenecks.

Axis 3

“Axis 3 links Brussels to the border with the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. It consists of railway lines 161 (Ottignies – Namur) and 162 (Namur-border) and has a total length of 175 km on Belgian territory. Its route is winding, with more than 150 curves. This explains the relatively low reference speed (130 km/h) and the presence of numerous low-speed traffic zones”, TUC Rail says. 

“This major upgrade project will raise the reference speed to 160 km/h, improve the link between Brussels, Luxembourg and Strasbourg and thus reduce road traffic between Belgium and Luxembourg.”

Brussels, Luxembourg and Strasbourg in France are host cities of European institutions. A good link between them is imperative. 

Geography

Currently, the IC 21XX between Brussels-Midi/South and Luxembourg takes 3 hours and 16 minutes. This train calls many stations in between: 

• Brussels-Central.
• Brussels-North.
• Brussels-Schuman.
• Brussels-Luxembourg (yes it is funny the Brussels – Luxembourg train stops at Brussels-Luxembourg Railway Station).
• Ottignies.
• Gembloux.
• Namur.
• Ciney.
• Marloie.
• Rochefort-Jemelle.
• Libramont.
• Marbehan.
• Arlon.

Unfortunately, the geography of Wallonia and the Ardennes prevent the building of a true high-speed line. But increasing the reference speed and cutting some stops should do the trick to decrease the journey time. 

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