In 2020, Luxembourg made international headlines by implementing free public transport throughout the country. Since then, all buses, trains and trams have been free of charge and the nation is now planning to extend that scheme over the French border.
Even though the French might have expected better news, the free public transport scheme won’t be adopted throughout the whole of France. Instead, it is meant for commuters who live in French municipalities bordering Luxembourg and who travel to their offices in Luxembourg on a regular basis. Until now, those commuters enjoyed free transport from the moment they crossed the border, meaning they still had to pay for their commute on the French territory.
Thanks to the extension, thousands of border workers will now be able to enjoy free public transport during peak hours in the morning and evening. The initiative comes from six French municipalities located next to the Luxembourg border, who form the Communauté de Communes de Cattenom et Environs and have decided to organise a free shuttle for workers making the journey into Luxembourg.
The shuttle will pick up the commuters and drop them off at the French side of the border in Mondorff. From there, the workers will have to cross the border by foot to arrive at Mondorf-les-Bains in Luxembourg. Once arrived, they can enjoy free public transport throughout Luxembourg.
The test will run for six months and then it will be re-evaluated. Even though the cost of the initial scheme will amount to 730,000 euros, it is hoped the initiative will ease traffic in the region. It is estimated that every day, 120,000 French workers commute to Luxembourg.
“Road traffic has increased tenfold while the road network has not been modernised”, Roland Balcerzak, mayor of the French region of Hettange-Grande – one of the six municipalities involved – told newspaper Luxtimes.
Even though the new scheme is already great news for the French, more is yet to come. By 2030, the French and Luxembourg governments want to increase train services to run every 10 minutes between the city of Metz in France and Luxembourg City. Moreover, there are plans in the making to extend Luxembourg City’s tram service in order for it to reach the French border.
