The new intermodal hub in Ettelbruck is slowly taking shape
Working for your mobility of tomorrow : a better rail connection for the “Nordstad”
Ettelbruck station is one of the major train and bus stations in the country and connects the “Nordstad” with the center of Luxembourg. To make this connection even more attractive, this strategically important station is currently being transformed and expanded into a genuine exchange hub. The construction work already started two years ago. The goal : a better connection of train services to the other means of public transport, including active mobility.
More capacity through additional platform and 2 additional tracks
In a first step, a temporary platform was built in 2018 to maintain train services for passengers during the construction works. Once this work will be completed, Ettelbruck station will not only have 2 platforms with 3 tracks, but 3 platforms with 5 tracks. When the new platform went into operation in November 2020, the temporary one was removed.
Overview of the changes as of December 2022
Thanks to the new capacities, train operations can be more flexible and, above all, more fluid as from December 2022, a great relief, for example for the connection Ettelbruck – Diekirch.
Until now, trains to Diekirch have to wait in Schieren until trains from the opposite direction have left Ettelbruck station. The new platform allows for smoother traffic in both directions, which will make trains even more punctual in the future. Only the section between Ettelbruck and Diekirch remains single-track. Therefore, one of the two trains is still required to wait that the other one passes. But, the fact that trains don’t have to wait in Schieren anymore, but can drive up to Ettelbruck, allows clients to gain some valuable minutes.
A new track plan for efficient train service at Ettelbruck station
In order to use the new capacities within Ettelbruck station even more efficiently and to assure a smoother train service, the station’s track plan will also be adapted. Additional switches offer more flexibility in train operations. In case of problems, trains can thus be easily diverted to other tracks and clients can thus be offered a better service.
More comfort for the clients
After their implementation, the new 300m long platforms offer the necessary space to allow boarding and exiting of longer trains. This means that more clients will be offered to be seated and thus offered more comfort in the future. In addition, the brand new canopies, that will cover the new platforms, will provide improved protection against bad weather.
The new platform 3 The awning
Easy access thanks to new underground passage
The new underground passages are another important part of the new station; the northern underground passage has already been in service since November 2020. Once all the work on the underground passages has been completed, probably in winter 2022, customers will have easy access to the platforms at both the southern and northern parts of the station.
Convenient and barrier-free: escalators and lifts
Beside the stairs, which will be wider and more comfortable in the new underground passage, escalators and lifts will also be installed to make access to the platforms easier for persons with reduced mobility. For the new northern underground passage, this will already be the case at the end of October.
The next step is the commissioning of the second track on platform 3, as well as platform 2 in the winter of 2022, giving clients unrestricted access to more tracks for their train transport. The entire project, including the new station building, is expected to be completed in 2027.