Looking back at the CFL’s major engineering works in 2023
From long-term works to the completion of new multimodal exchange hubs and track maintenance, the CFL teams were busy on many fronts in 2023. Working for the mobility of today’s customers… and tomorrow’s.
301. This number alone sheds light on the degree of intervention and the substantial engagement made by the CFL to maintain and upkeep the Luxembourg rail network.
No fewer than 301 days of work were scheduled for 2023 (364 days in 2022 and 311 days in 2021) to preserve and improve the integrity of the network, a sine qua non condition for its availability for rail traffic and the double guarantee of safety and comfort for customers.
Sleepers, catenaries, access to and around the tracks for CFL staff,… the pace of work has been intense across the board. One example is the work carried out on line 50 (Luxembourg – Kleinbettingen – Arlon), where 6.7 km of track was renewed.
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This type of operation, which covers the rails, sleepers, ballast and even the soil on which the track rests, requires a high level of expertise and the use of rare and special equipment. Like a renewal train that was also used during the summer on line 10 between Wilwerwiltz and Drauffelt, over a distance of more than four kilometres.
2,000 parking spaces and many incentives for multimodality
In parallel with the “core” work, two new facilities opened in 2023 are among the major incentives for making multimodality (combining modes of transport) commonplace : a P+R at Rodange station and a second at Mersch station. Their combined total of 2,000 new parking places illustrates the CFL’s determination to continue offering high-quality public mobility services.
Designed to meet the needs of residents and cross-border commuters, these services help to ensure that mobility flows smoothly while reducing CO2 emissions from individual transport.
Work is also continuing on other key sites: Ettelbruck station is being transformed into a multimodal hub for the north, and the Howald stop is being extended to take into account the significant mobility needs in the west of the capital. Troisvierges station, meanwhile, will soon be equipped with a brand new 389-space P+R.
Focus on the new Luxembourg-Bettembourg line
2023 was also a busy year for the passionate employees of the CFL, who were busy working on the cornerstone of the Lorraine corridor (line 90, Luxembourg – Bettembourg – Metz – Nancy) for the next few decades: the new double-track line between Luxembourg and Bettembourg. 8 trains per hour (excluding TGV) will be able to run on this line from 2028 onwards.
Two sides of the same coin
Together, the modernisation and expansion projects are forming part of an overall rail network concept that includes:
- Adding capacity (tracks, platforms) at strategic stations,
- Platform extensions to handle longer trains (9 cars) with up to 692 seats in the case of the Coradia Stream High Capacity 2450 series (blogcfl.lu/en/coradia-en/la-premiere-coradia-grand-format-se-presente),
- The construction of new multimodal exchange hubs across the country,
- Relieving congestion on busy stretches of track, in particular the Luxembourg-Bettembourg line,
- Adapting the organisation of certain stations to limit the number of trains from different lines crossing each other, thereby improving punctuality.
This infrastructure work is the first side of a single coin. The other is occupied by the acquisition of new state-of-the-art rolling stock, in order to handle an exponentially growing number of customers (e.g. +85% between 2005 and 2019) in accordance with the high quality standards set by the CFL.
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In 2023, the CFL team in charge of acquiring the 34 new Coradia Stream High Capacity trains – designed by Alstom – has been able to continue the homologation process prior to the entry into service of the first railcars in 2024. And with a proposed +46% increase in seating capacity by 2025. Routine servicing and maintenance of the Coradia will be carried out in the new Hall 4 inaugurated in October 2023 at the Centre de Remisage et de Maintenance (CRM) in Luxembourg-Bonnevoie.
At the start of the new year, the CFL is renewing its ambition to be the leading partner of its customers today and tomorrow… while anticipating the mobility of future generations.