In 63 seconds from Pfaffenthal to Kirchberg

(CS/DL) Following extensive clearing works below the Red Bridge in Pfaffenthal, the site is now almost ready for construction to begin on the new train station and funicular.

Some 1.5 hectares of forest were cleared, with new trees to be planted near Roeser to replace the lost greenery. This forms part of a legally required compensation measure. A number of trees will also be replanted at the site once construction is finished.

The new station is set to be an important part of the so-called MoDu sustainable transport concept. By bringing travellers to their destination in Kirchberg, one of the capital's key business hubs, by rail, it is hoped that the train station will help unclog the capital's roads.

It will also ease the burden currently placed on the City's bus network, with the vast majority of rail commuters arriving at the central train station from where they continue their journey by public transport. 

6,000 passengers per hour

The train station below the Red Bridge comes with plans for a funicular to take passengers up the hill to the Place de l'Europe in Kirchberg. Two cars will be able to transport 168 passengers each, with the journey lasting just 63 seconds.

Around 6,000 passengers will be able to travel by funicular every hour, enough to ensure the link between the Pfaffenthal, where rail passengers will arrive, and Kirchberg.

Six trains are set to stop at the new station every hour.

Unlike previously speculated, the station will not be called “Arrêt Pont Rouge” but “Arrêt Kirchberg-Pfaffenthal” since all train stations in Luxembourg are named after villages or cities, a tradition that will be upheld.

With trees in the area felled, the next phase of the project will see roadworks begin to construct access roads for heavy vehicles, before the start of the main phase of construction.

It is thought that the station will be completed by the end of 2017, with the budget calculated at 96.3 million euros.

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