Although its departure was slightly delayed due to a technical fault, on Monday evening the tram performed its first test run on the new section of track.
Press were invited to witness the tram's first test run from the Place de l'Étoile as far as Avenue de la Liberté.
Although it was not yet possible to board the tram for the journey, the event drew a number of spectators. It was an historical moment, as a tram stood before the Gare once again for the first time in 56 years.
The test run was well-timed - although it had rained heavily on Monday evening, the rain eased off in time for the tram's departure at 9.20pm.
Despite a slight delay due to the platform being a smidge too wide for the tram, the issue was quickly remedied with Styrofoam pieces.
Frank Vansteenkiste, Luxtram president, said the rest of the journey proved to be optimistic. The test run was designed to check the tram could easily travel down the track, removing any potential obstacles, moving at walking speed to allow engineers to check as it went on.
The test run went smoothly as far as Avenue de la Liberté, where it was forced to halt due to a computer error which meant the tram lost electricity. It was then towed to the capital's central station, where it arrived shortly before midnight.
More phases tests are planned to take place overnight for the next few days, so as not to disturb traffic. Vansteenkiste said they hoped to have the tram running at normal speed by the end of November for tests, although passengers will have to wait a bit longer before they can travel to the Gare by tram.
The tram's inaugural journey from Luxexpo to the Gare is expected to take place at 10am on 13 December.
In total, there will be four new tram stops: Hamilius, Place de Metz, Place de Paris and the central station.
The Hamilius and Gare stops will become interchange stations, in addition to the Place de l'Étoile
Works on Avenue de la Liberté and Place de la Gare are planned to end in spring 2021, while the Place de Paris and Place de Metz will be completed next summer. Commissioning of the section at Bonnevoie is scheduled for the second half of 2022.
24 minutes from Luxexpo to the Gare?
The journey from the Luxexpo station in Kirchberg to the Gare is predicted to take around 24 minutes. Is this feasible?
Video report in Luxembourgish:
The journey time is theoretical and will be tested over the next few weeks, albeit with an empty tram.
Currently, the journey from the Luxexpo to the Place de l'Étoile theoretically takes around 16 minutes, with 11 stops - roughly 1 and a half minutes between each stop. In practice, it can take around 17 minutes to complete the journey.
Time will reveal if the planned journey time is achievable - for now, Luxtram are focusing on getting the tram to and from the central station without issues.
