#ReimagineHowald Nine years of railway-transformation have brought Howald a major mobility hub. The Big Question: what kind of everyday place will this hub will pollinate? CFL – Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Luxembourgeois‘ Howald Railway-station now connects trains + trams + buses + people who park cars + people who pedal bicycles + people who walk & wheelchair. Paperjam reports more than 3,000 passenger journeys a day and a car-Park&Ride with 1,451 spaces. CFL lists one bikebox with 44 places = roughly 33 car spaces for every secure bike space.
As we learned first-hand in Lotte Bech + Cycling Embassy of Denmark‘s liveable-city masterclass a few years ago . . . and year after year from the engineers, traffic-managers, educators, mayors, council-members and more at Velo-city conferences: visions about infrastructure + capacity + Decency = choices about what people can conveniently do.
Climate Action Tiger and I . . . with our family-sized Riese&Müller Load75 cargo-eBike pedaled to CFL’s Pfaffenthal-Kirchberg Funicular . . . we transferred to the train . . . arriving rapidly to the CFL Howald station:
After a few minutes of searching, we found the correct “family-sized” elevator that could easily fit several full-size cargo-bikes . . . and re-emerged upstairs at the street-level Tram platform:
Question: what might the next transformation of Howald Train Station look like if we began with daily life: a safe, continuous route to the platforms + secure roll-in, roll-out bicycle parking for ordinary bikes + family cargo bikes + step-free access + shade + seating & mature trees = welcoming places to pass through + be inspired + pause + meet + read + eat, linger & play?
Day-time reimagination of Howald Train Station:
Night-time reimagination of Howald Train Station:
There is useful nearby evidence. Gasperich is part of Ville de Luxembourg . . . Howald, although adjacent, belongs to the separate commune of Hesperange. They are neighbours. Gasperich’s 2024 Apéri’tours Ideation Workshop report cannot tell us what Howald residents think, but this 40+ page report https://www.vdl.lu/sites/default/files/media/ni/document/GASPERICH%20-%20Rapport.pdf helps to frame good questions in good-faith:
‣ 84% of residents said they spend leisure time in their neighbourhood’s parks
‣ 54% use its promenades and cycle paths
‣ 65% rated the cultural offer rather poorly or very poorly
When asked how public spaces could improve:
‣ 41% selected more greenery or renewed green spaces
‣ 40% more places to meet & socialise
‣ 34% better safety
These are not abstract design preferences. They describe the conditions that make Public Spaces feel fit-for-purpose. Youth4planet‘s Climate Action Tiger helps me measure the next phase in public with Lucy Saunders FFPH‘s online assessments at Healthy Streets website https://www.healthystreets.com/resources#on-street-assessment + Gross Domestic Regeneration scores (Thank YOU Tenzin Seldon) ask how can we do better . . . yesterday, now, tomorrow, and for generations to come.
A ribbon-cutting can mark completion of construction. A genuinely transformative multi-modal Railway Station should also make daily life safer, healthier, easier and more connected for the people around it. What should Howald’s next chapter incarnate?
PS: Read National Library of Luxembourg’s article on strengthening Students’ Reading Skills: https://bnl.public.lu/fr/a-la-une/actualites/articles-actualites/2026/pisa-etude.html What are your Reflections?
Reflections? Questions? Ideas? Chat with Climate Action Tiger and Christian Thalacker-Heldenstein: christian@youth4planet.org
