Luxembourg Demonstrator Sites

With an area of 2,586 square kilometers, Luxembourg is one of the smallest sovereign states in Europe. It has a population of 585,000 inhabitants, with high population growth (2.5% per year) over the last decade. Luxembourg is a major European economic centre and the 2nd richest country in the world per capita (IMF, 2015). The country has one of the world’s highest car ratios (3rd worldwide with 680 cars per 1000 persons). On the other hand Luxembourg has efficient road, rail and air transport facilities and services, with 147 km of motorways connecting the capital to adjacent countries. The urban transport services are based on urban and regional bus lines and a tramway is under construction. The country is a pioneer in electro-mobility, having introduced hybrid buses since 2009 and with a strategic plan to reach all-electric public transport within the next decade with the installation of solar panels and use of green electricity. The public transportation network is composed of more than 340 lines operated by different transport operators under the control of the government (RGTR – Réseau Général des Transports Routiers). By mid-2017, the government approved the creation of a test zone for self-driving cars.

THE PILOT SITES

The Contern deployment is situated in an industrial area located around 10km east of Luxembourg City. One NAVYA© autonomated minibus has been running on the site of Contern, between the new Sandweiler-Contern train station and the Campus Contern, an office complex in Luxembourg that provides a 100% natural, pollution and allergen-free environment to its tenants. This service has been provided from Monday to Friday during peak hours it started in 2018, had some operation time in 2020 but had to stop due to road works and changes on the route until being restarted in April 2022 until the end of this same year. We dispatched people arriving by public transport directly to their work and provided a mobility solution within this industrial zone. The journey, strewn with industrial vehicles, trucks and individual cars, was 2.3km long. This first pilot provides Sales-Lentz (SLA) the required experience for the introduction of autonomous vehicle services to other sites in Luxembourg, complementing the public transportation shared services they already offer.

In addition, since mid-2018, SLA started operating two automated minibuses in Pfaffenthal, a very picturesque central neighborhood of Luxembourg City situated in the Alzette valley. This deployment site route connected a residential area with the train and funicular station as well as with the panoramic elevator, that goes up to the city of Luxembourg. This deployment has provided a valuable convenience to the population by creating a connection between the different means of transportation arriving in different points of the area. The automated minibuses have allowed the mobility of local residents, commuters and tourists from all age groups in an environment with multiple traffic situations, in a busy inner-city area full of cyclists and pedestrians. These services were offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 12:00 and 16:00 and between 16:45 and 20:00 and between 10:00 and 21:00 during Saturdays and Sundays.

non-stop thanks to a switch between two shuttles.

Luxembourg site achievements

• Driving in touristic site, industrial zone and pedestrian zone
• Overcame different kind of obstacles
• First Luxembourgish approval for public roads
• On-demand fully integrated

A few figures

• 13,040 km traveled
• 25,910 passengers transported

More information about these sites are available in the deliverable 7.12 and within the various related press releases (see below). See also the dedicated brochure and the operational data summary