With a population of 602,000, Luxembourg is one of Europe’s smallest countries — yet it suffers from major traffic jams.

But that could be about to change. As of March 1, 2020 all public transport — trains, trams and buses — in the country is now free.

The government hopes the move will alleviate heavy congestion and bring environmental benefits, according to Dany Frank, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Mobility and Public Works.

Landlocked Luxembourg is one of the richest countries in Europe, with the highest per capita GDP in the European Union.

Taking up 2,586 square kilometers, Luxembourg is roughly the size of Rhode Island. From the capital of Luxembourg City, Belgium, France and Germany can all be reached by car in half an hour.

High housing costs, especially in Luxembourg City, mean more than 180,000 of its workforce commute from those neighboring countries every day.

“Luxembourg is a very attractive place for jobs,” explains Geoffrey Caruso, a professor at the University of Luxembourg and the Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research specializing in land use and transportation.

But its “booming economy” and high concentration of jobs have led to congestion issues, he says.

In 2016, Luxembourg had 662 cars per 1,000 people, and driving is a “primary means of transportation” for commuters, according to a 2017 report by the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Infrastructure.

That year, drivers in Luxembourg City spent an average of 33 hours in traffic jams. It fared worse than European cities Copenhagen and Helsinki, which have comparable population sizes to all of Luxembourg — yet drivers in both only spent an average of 24 hours in traffic.

Luxembourg’s public transport system covers the whole country and costs US$562 million per year to run. Each year, it generates around US$46 million in ticket sales, according to the ministry.

The government is putting up the cost of making it free, Frank says. “The country at this very moment is in really good shape. We, the government, want the people to benefit from the good economy.”

Words to Learn 相关词汇

【缓解】 huǎnjiě alleviate make less severe

【内陆的】nèilù de landlocked entirely or almost entirely surrounded by land

卢森堡有60.2万人口，是欧洲最小的国家之一，但也面临严重的交通堵塞。

但这种情况可能即将改变。从2020年3月1日起，卢森堡所有公共交通 —— 火车、电车和公共汽车 —— 都会免费运营。

交通与公共工程部发言人丹尼▪弗兰克表示，政府希望此举能缓解严重的交通拥堵，并有益于环保。

地处内陆的卢森堡是欧洲最富裕的国家之一，人均GDP居欧盟之首。

卢森堡占地2586平方公里，面积和美国罗德岛差不多大。卢森堡的首都卢森堡市距离比利时、法国和德国车程都在半小时内。

卢森堡 —— 尤其是卢森堡市 —— 高昂的住房成本意味着每天有超过18万员工从这些邻国通勤上班。

卢森堡大学和卢森堡社会经济研究所专门从事土地利用和交通研究的教授杰弗里▪卡鲁索解释说：“卢森堡是一个非常有吸引力的就业目的地。”

但他表示，卢森堡“蓬勃发展的经济”和就业的高度集中导致了交通拥堵问题。

根据可持续发展和基础设施部2017年的一份报告，2016年，卢森堡每1000人拥有662辆汽车，驾驶是通勤者的“主要交通方式”。

当年，卢森堡市的司机平均在交通堵塞中花费33个小时。卢森堡市的拥堵情况比哥本哈根和赫尔辛基等欧洲城市更糟，这两个城市的人口规模相当于整个卢森堡，但司机堵在路上的时间平均仅为24小时。

卢森堡的公共交通系统覆盖全国，每年的运营费用为5.62亿美元（约合人民币39.2亿美元）。据交通与公共工程部统计，每年的公共交通售票收入约为4600万美元。

弗兰克说，政府会承担公共交通免费的成本。“卢森堡目前经济运行良好。政府希望人民从中受益。”

(chinadaily.com.cn)