Belgium & Luxembourg Request EU Aid to Improve Rail Connectivity

Belgium’s Minister of Mobility, George Gilkinet, and his Luxembourg counterpart, Yuriko Backes, formalised a request for European Union funding aimed at improving the rail infrastructure linking Luxembourg City and Brussels.

The purpose of the meeting was to evaluate railway cooperation initiatives and reaffirm their collective aspirations in the field of railway development, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.

The modernization of this line will also improve travel times and interconnectivity, for the benefit of travellers.

This meeting is based on the previous commitment made through the signing of a letter of intent on October 3, 2023, by Minister Gilkinet.

The main objective of strengthening their cooperation in the railway sector is to strengthen the cross-border connection. This strategic initiative aims to attract an increasing number of passengers to travel by train, with a particular focus on serving the approximately 45,000 daily passengers travelling between Belgium and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.

The submitted paper outlines a number of ambitious targets to be achieved by 2040. These targets include doubling the proportion of passengers choosing to travel by train between Belgium and Luxembourg and doubling the volume of rail freight between the two nations.

Furthermore, the parties aspire to increase the attractiveness of train travel by reducing travel times between the capitals, with a specific target of achieving a two-hour connection between Brussels and Luxembourg City by 2030. In addition, this commitment to the joint venture is supported by Belgium’s national railway company NMBS/SNCB and Luxembourg’s operator Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Luxembourgeois (CFL).

A prior letter of intent, signed in 2016, pledged to connect the capitals within two hours by 2023. The journey from Luxembourg to Brussels by train takes three hours and fifteen minutes.

Starting in 2007, the improvement project initially received €132 million in European funds. However, subsequent disputes between the two countries have arisen over the overall cost, which is expected to reach approximately €750 million. At the same time, Luxembourg has contributed around €100 million to the works on its side of the border, as Minister Bausch declared in 2021.

Beyond improving the infrastructure, the project also aims to stimulate Belgian cross-border workers to switch from travelling by car to using the train. Currently, around 45,000 Belgian residents cross the border into Luxembourg every day, with 85 per cent of them relying on personal vehicles for their daily commute.