Five tips for combining train and bike better
Do you want to get back on your bike? The CFL are giving you five useful tips so that you can combine train and bike even better when commuting or during your free time.
In 2023, the CFL launched its cycling strategy to better meet the needs of their customers travelling by bike. The bike-station-train connection is therefore part of the CFL’s multifaceted range of mobility services. To make your next cycle journey even easier, we have provided you with five useful tips to make active multimodal cycling even easier.
- Always be safe on the road
Safety first. This is not only a top priority for our customers, but of course also for users of bicycles and other means of transport fitted with tyres.
As soon as you arrive at the station, please get off your bike for your own safety and that of others. Please also remember to stay behind the white safety line which is present along the entire length of the platforms. Remember that the doors close 15 seconds before the train departs.
- Everything for a good and comfortable arrival
Another important piece of advice so that you can benefit from the comfort of travelling by train without stress: find out in advance about your journey ( time schedule, any engineering works or other particularities) – on the CFL website or CFL mobile app. While travelling with a bicycle on board CFL trains is free of charge, we ask you to contact the CFL CallCentre for all the necessary information and modalities for travelling abroad by train and bicycle.
If you get hungry on your journey or are worried about a flat tyre, we’ve got you covered! Since November 2023, the Snack O’ Quai vending machines from CFL cactus shoppi have been offering you a wide range of treats (including organic products) and drinks.
- Where to take your bike on the train?
Are you looking for access for bicycles on your train? Look out for a green banner with a white bicycle symbol on the side of the train.
Whether in the double-decker DoSto compartments or in the 21 electric railcars of the 2000 series (‘Z2’), the expansion of spaces for bicycles on CFL trains is one of the CFL’s short and medium-term goals as part of its cycling strategy. In the new Coradia Stream High Capacity electric multiple units, which will enter service in 2024, the number of bicycle spaces will be increased from 12 to 24 (single unit) and from 24 to 32 spaces (multiple unit) during the cycling season.
Read also: By train and bike: What you need to know
- Parking made easy near railway stations
Finding a secure place to park your bike is easy near many railway stations. No fewer than 75 so-called secure bicycle parking spaces are available nationally as part of the bikebox network managed by the CFL – one of them is sure to be near you! More than 1,600 parking spaces are available in total and… free of charge!
While the construction of a bikebox has become the norm for new infrastructure projects (116 secure bicycle parking spaces are available at the Mersch intermodal hub, which was completed in September 2023), the CFL are continuing to expand their bikebox network in close collaboration with partner municipalities. At the same time, the CFL are making it easier for bicycle users to move around the stations, for example by installing bicycle channels along the stairs or by installing lifts that can also accommodate bicycles.
- Need some inspiration?
Still not sure where to go on your next cycling trip or which region of the country or the Greater Region you would like to visit? Then you should take a look at the ‘Bike & Rail’ book published by the CFL in 2023. This is available from Ernster sales outlets for 43 euros. A first edition by the CFL for those who share a passion for two wheels with 20 cycle tours from station to station and varying levels of difficulty. The book offers 15 tours in Luxembourg, five more in the Greater Region, lots of illustrations and GPX data for each tour.
For a little teaser, take a look at our website.
À lire aussi:
5 bike tours to escape from everyday life…in your neighbourhood
For the hikers among you: The CFL have also published the fourth edition of their hiking guide in 2023. The ‘Hike & Rail’ book, which is richly illustrated and packed with information, offers walkers a choice of 43 different tours in Luxembourg and from station to station. This book is available for 37 euros from Ernster sales outlets.