Belgium will invest €44 billion into rail infrastructure in the next decade, Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport, Georges Gilkinet, said at a press conference in Arlon on Monday, wanting closer ties with the CFL.
The aim is to of have trains account for 15% of all trips in Belgium by 2040, up from the current 8%. He wants more trains, including at night and on weekends, running on time, and more accessible bike storage. The minister also wants to make fares more attractive in the medium term.
Meanwhile, cross-border workers living in Belgium - there are 50,000 of them - are calling for better parking at train stations. But Gilkenet’s priority remains increasing train capacity, in a joint effort with the CFL.
“It is my dream, but a little more than a dream, to bring Luxembourg trains across to Belgium. For as long as they are approved to run in Belgium, as far as Libramont, for example. To pick up commuters from the province who are going to work in the Grand Duchy.” Current test phases have proven to be successful.
Representatives of Belgian cross-border workers, but also trade unions, praised Luxembourg’s mobility: From the ‘Park and Ride’ options at stations, to Wi-Fi added to Luxembourgish trains, to overall free transport. The latter would not be possible in Belgium, said the minister.
“Taking the tram from François [referring to Luxembourg’s Minister for Mobility François Bausch, eds. note] is a dream, of course. The Grand Duchy’s budget structure is much better than ours. It’s a fiscal paradise, you know...There are very good ecologists in the government, they have the means to have a high-performance and free network. This is not the case in Belgium”, said Gilkenet.
Free transport in Belgium would mean that the ticket revenue of €700 million would evaporate, continued the minister.
He hopes for a high-speed rail line to connect Luxembourg and Brussels in just over two hours by 2030, with only two stops in Arlon and Namur.
Video report in Luxembourgish:
