Works on the redevelopment of the railway station district in Ettelbrück are progressing, with part of the N7 national road moving underground as part of the plans approved in 2017 and now roughly one year behind schedule.
The N7 underpass should open in 2028, said Paul Klein, project manager at the roads and bridges administration. “We hope to be able to open the road by the 2028 summer holidays,” said Roland Fox, the office’s director.
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This would put completion around one year behind the original schedule drawn up in March 2022. Both engineers said the installation and commissioning of the technical equipment represent the biggest challenge.
Work on the underground route began at the beginning of March 2023 and is now well advanced from the south. The next construction phase of the tunnel will start at the beginning of next year. The shell of around two thirds of the tunnel has already been completed.
“We need 1,400 bored piles for the entire length of the underpass. Of these, 1,000 have already been installed, 400 are still missing,” said Klein. The entire length of the tunnel is expected to be completed in around a year.
An important milestone is scheduled for the beginning of the year with the opening of the new petrol station at the intersection towards Erpeldange on 6 January.
Once the new facility is operational, the existing petrol station on the Ettelbrück side will close. This is considered a key step in advancing the project, as the current station occupies the area where the tunnel is to connect to the Patton Bridge.
Demolition of the old petrol station is set to begin shortly after the winter holidays and is expected to take three to four months.
The bus station will be organised around a former railway track © Photo credit: Frank Weyrich
Significant changes are also planned for the bus station in Ettelbrück from May. Until construction work is completed, the bus station will be temporarily relocated to a stretch of defunct railway track. This will create direct access between the underpass and the bus platforms.
The relocation requires a reorganisation of bus routes: in future, the bus station will be divided into three zones based on where buses are going.
The reorganisation will require passengers to adjust. “Our minister, Yuriko Backes, attaches great importance to customer friendliness. That is why special signage is being installed so that travellers can find their way around easily,” said Fox.
A specialised company from Paris has been commissioned to design the signage, he said.
(This article was first published in the Luxemburger Wort. Translated using AI, edited by Lucrezia Reale.)