Collapsed tunnel to re-open in mid-December, says Bausch

A train tunnel in northern Luxembourg which was closed after a rock collapse in the summer is due to re-open in mid-December, Transport Minister François Bausch said on Tuesday.

"An access to the tunnel will be created," Bausch said in response to a parliamentary question. "For now, there is no reason for us to believe that on the 11th December […] the line wouldn’t be ready."

The tunnel at Schieburg, between the villages of Kautenbach and Wilwerwiltz,    was closed for maintenance works when its roof caved in on 27 August. It had been scheduled to open in mid-September.

The closure has disrupted daily life for many in the country’s north, with trains between Clervaux and Kautenbach suspended, leading to a drop in sales for local businesses, and much longer travel times for school pupils and patients trying to get to hospital appointments.  

The whole country will benefit from the reopening of the line, Bausch said on Tuesday, describing the incident as "major bad luck".

"I am sorry for the people who are affected by it. We are doing our best to help them with buses and other transportation alternatives," Bausch said.

"We are putting everything in place to get the construction site, as soon as possible, finished so that people can take the train normally again," the minister added.  

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