Holiday rush drives demand at Europe’s busiest petrol station

The first Saturday in August, when Europe’s July holidaymakers head home and August sun-seekers head south, is the busiest day of the year at the continent’s busiest petrol station.

And even soaring global fuel prices haven’t stopped thousands of car and truck drivers from filling up at Shell’s Berchem station in southern Luxembourg on the busy A3 motorway.

The Grand Duchy may be small, but it’s a crossroads between Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands and the route south to the holiday beaches of France, Italy and Spain.

And – crucial in a summer of rising prices – it’s notoriously cheap fuel, making it a prime spot for long-distance drivers and budget-conscious traveling families alike.

French and German drivers and cross-border commuters often fill up in Luxembourg outside of the holiday hustle and bustle.

When a family’s ultimate destination is the Mediterranean Sea and a full tank costs more than 100 euros (dollars), the savings add up.

On Saturday, two 40,000 liter tanker trucks were on course to make between 16 and 20 round trips a day to keep Berchem’s petrol and diesel pumps running while the huge forecourt was packed with camper vans.

Earlier this year, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and global supply chain challenges amid the coronavirus pandemic sent the oil giant’s fuel prices and profits skyrocketing.

World oil prices and retail gasoline prices have begun to fall, and governments have begun subsidizing rebates to stave off motorists’ grumbles.

France, for example, has already reduced the pump price by 18 centimes and will extend the discount to 30 centimes in September. Belgium lowered tariffs by 17.5 centimes per liter in March.

Luxembourg’s cut was just 7.5 centimes in April and it’s not clear if the government will extend it until the end of August. For now, however, it retains an advantage.

On Saturday, AFP in Brussels paid €1.79 per liter for petrol and websites monitoring fuel prices estimated the Belgian average price at €1.867 per liter.

Drivers in Berchem in inferior Luxembourg paid only 1,636 euros – but in line with drivers from half of Europe and truckers from Cyprus, Ireland and Poland.

“This is due to the perfect location in the middle of Europe, but also to the low fuel prices,” says Daniel Calderon, manager of Shell’s largest petrol station.

Calderon said the motorists who caused Saturday’s stampede were largely in good spirits thanks to the holiday spirit after two years of pandemic-restricted travel.

But he said cross-border trade with local French and German drivers was disrupted by soaring fuel prices in late spring, and some of them are still concerned.