"The culture of the car is really dominant and it remains quite complicated to attract motorists to public transport," Merlin Gillard, a mobility specialist at Luxembourg's Liser research centre, told AFP.

At the end of 2021, this small country of 650,000 inhabitants wedged between Germany, Belgium and France had the second highest rate of motorization in the EU, with 681 passenger cars per 1,000 inhabitants, according to Eurostat. Among the Twenty-Seven, only Poland exceeds this figure (687).

"I often say, the Germans build the cars and the Luxembourgers buy them," jokes the Minister of Mobility in the Grand Duchy, François Bausch, who notes, however, that traffic has become more fluid in the capital since the introduction of the tramway in 2017.

At a time of transition to carbon neutrality, the ruling coalition, which brings together liberals, socialists and ecologists, highlights its heavy investments to attract the population to cleaner transport.

The government boasts an annual investment of 800 million euros in its public transport. The country holds the European record for spending on the tramway, with 500 euros per person per year invested "in the extension and quality of the network", notes Mr. Bausch, Minister ecologist.

Central station renovated from top to bottom, ultra-modern funicular, dedicated lanes for buses and trams: in the capital Luxembourg City, progress is welcomed by users met by AFP, who also highlight the benefits of free travel. An unprecedented measure in Europe, where no State had ever introduced it on its entire territory.

This free service "facilitates the decision when choosing between public transport and car", and "it is very positive for the environment", argues Edgar Bisenius, manager of a financial services SME.

"A fundamental right"

"Transport is a fundamental right for residents. If we have the right to work, we also have the right to be brought to work, without too much cost," said Ben Dratwicki.

Luxembourg's Minister of Mobility Francois Bausch speaks at a press conference on 10 March 2023 on the results of three years of free © public transport JOHN THYS / AFP

This French teacher, who lives in the capital and travels there by bike, explains that he takes the funicular and then the train to go to the high school where he teaches, 20 kilometers to the north.

Such behaviour still seems to be in the minority, judging by the traffic jams that persist during rush hour on major roads.

Because the particularity of the country is that it attracts 220,000 cross-border workers every day, which represents almost half of the total number of employees.

These cross-border commuters, mainly from France and Belgium, are excluded from free transport for the part of the journey made in their country of residence. A brake to leave the car.

For the 120,000 French "commuters", who work and pay taxes in the Grand Duchy, the Luxembourg government has agreed to redistribute part of the money by financing infrastructure such as car parks on the French side of the border.

François Bausch has also promised a Thionville-Luxembourg train every seven minutes by 2027-2028. A frequency "almost comparable to the metro", argued the minister.

Merlin Gillard points to another limitation of the Luxembourg "model", namely a saturated real estate market and increasingly expensive rents, preventing the installation of cross-border workers who would like it.

These are somehow doubly punished, according to the expert: "They can not afford housing, and in addition must pay for transport anyway".

© 2023 AFP