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The tram in Howald will terminate at a hub for trains and buses close to the N3 motorwayPhoto: Ministère de la Mobilité et des Travaux publics 

Minister of transport and public works François Bausch (Déi Gréng) on Thursday presented the next stage of the construction of the tram network, including connections to Bonnevoie, and the Cloche d'Or.

Work on the first section between the city train station and Bonnevoie should start in April, the minister said, with trams expected to start service in September 2022.

This will be followed by the start of construction of the extension from Bonnevoie to the Cloche d'Or in the second half of 2022, with a completion date set for the second half of 2023. Watch a promo video for the next phase of the tram network here(in French).

This is where the first set of problems arise, however. Some of the land on the 3.7-kilometre stretch along rue des Scillas belongs to private companies, including cement maker Bétons Feidt and real estate investment fund Olos Fund, which was established by developers Eric Lux and Flavio Becca.

Bausch has suggested a number of alternative solutions may be available should the state be unable to purchase the required land, including a stretch of single track--used alternately by trams heading in different directions--on the plot belonging to Olos Fund. Though that is far from ideal and would present a major blow to a project whose goal is to streamline traffic in the area.

The minister has also told Wort.lu that negotiations with Bétons Feidt were still underway, as the state and the company strive to reach an agreement on the precise route of the tram line through land that currently houses a workshop building. Failing this, the government will have to revise its plans, and that will almost inevitably lead to a delay in completion of the track to Cloche d'Or. The ministry is being guarded regarding the final budget of the two new extensions, saying it is still awaiting detailed studies of the plans before it can fine tune the costing.

This article has been translated and edited from the original French, published in Paperjam.