A staff trained in hybrid mode on Coradia trains

The drivers and accompanying staff who will be welcoming customers on the CFL Coradia are currently being trained to handle this new series of trains. The training combines digital training sessions and practical exercises on board the 2410 railcar.

Focused, headphones on, four train drivers are already picturing themselves in the driving seat of the Coradia Stream High Capacity, the 34 new CFL trains that will gradually enter service from the second half of 2024. With their eyes immersed to the screen, these experienced CFL employees are undergoing a five-day training program in order to receive the green light to drive a Coradia.

“Every train is different from a technical point of view, even if it’s just in terms of the ergonomics of the dashboard in the cockpit,” sums up Pascal Nijenhuis, himself a former train driver and a coach at CFL since 2017.

The first drivers to use the Coradia are learning how to use this excellent work tool in several stages, starting with a tailor-made online training module. “Thanks to our online training tool, we can optimise training time and conduct risk-free exercises and simulations. Drivers can carry out on-screen the mandatory inspections they will have to complete on Coradia trains before they start work, with a particular focus on safety, which is CFL’s absolute priority.”

300 drivers trained

Preparing the train, checking the brakes, closing the doors, paying attention to the elements that are essential for the quality of service to customers, solving problems and any potential breakdowns… the training is intended to be as exhaustive as possible to correspond to the real conditions in which these enthusiasts transport 100,000 CFL customers every day.

“Initially, 24 train drivers and the first railway shunters will be trained so that we have the necessary contingent to ensure the service of the first Coradia railcars – the first numbered 2409 – to be put into service on the rail network”, explains Claude Marx, Head of the CFL Operations Centre, the 500-people team responsible, among other things, for putting trains into service on the rail network. “But in a second phase, we are going to train all our 300 train drivers and our 42 shunters”.

Putting theory into practice – not far from the training room at the CFL Repairs and Maintenance Centre (CRM) at Bonnevoie, the second Coradia received by the CFL (bearing the number 2410) is waiting for the drivers. Parked in front of CFL’s brand-new Hall 4, which was built to accommodate these new trains during their maintenance and servicing , the railcar is ideally suited to putting into practice the elements learnt via the digital training programme. The highlight of the programme: an empty run (without customers) the next day on the rail network, in this case to Wasserbillig.

Following their own training programme, the train accompanying staff are also going to the CRM to get acclimatised to the Coradia railcars in which they will be working alongside CFL customers at stations and rail stops across the country.

Safety and quality go hand in hand for testing

In terms of equipment, the Coradia 2409 is undergoing final tests on the Luxembourg rail network in collaboration with Alstom’s manufacturing teams. The aim is to check the train’s behaviour and validate whether all the quality standards required by the CFL have been met.

“The homologation process for this electric train, which included a major safety component, was completed on last 15 March. We are now carrying out tests to check the reliability and robustness of the equipment in the environment in which it will be in service”, explains Mike Strotz, Head of the Equipment Acquisition Division within the CFL’s Trains and Equipment Department. This is a landmark project for the CFL, representing an investment of around €400 million in tomorrow’s mobility.

As the first Coradia railcars are due to enter service in the second half of the year, the staff involved in this project, and the CFL as a whole, are already looking forward to welcoming the first customers on board.

As a reminder, the 34 railcars ordered from Alstom will enable the CFL to offer 46% more seats to their customers.