Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Luxembourgeois

Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Luxembourgeois
legal form	Company based on the law of March 28, 1997
founding	May 14, 1946
Seat	Luxembourg
management	Jeannot Waringo (Chairman of the Board of Directors) ; Marc Wengler (General Manager)
Number of employees	4622
sales	882.5 million euros
Branch	Transport / logistics
Website	cfl.lu
	Status: 2019

National railway lines of Luxembourg

The Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Luxembourgeois ( CFL ; German National Society of the Luxembourg Railways ) is the state railway company of Luxembourg . It is mainly active in the rail transport sector in Luxembourg in the field of passenger transport. Cross-border connections are mainly covered by the (former) national railway companies (state railways) of the neighboring countries: SNCF , SNCB . The CFL also operates almost 30 national bus routes, as well as 2 cross-border express bus connections to Saarbrücken main station ("Luxemburg-Saarbrücken-Express") and to Lorraine TGV station ("Gare Lorraine Express").

As an independent company, CFL Cargo is active in freight transport ; it cooperates internationally with other freight railways in the Xrail association founded in 2010 . The container traffic is driven by CFL Multimodal . An international rail-road connection from Bettemburg to Le Boulou near Perpignan is operated via Lorry-Rail SA . The North German Railway Company Niebüll , which operates some regional railway lines in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein , is a 100% subsidiary of CFL.

The CFL has a staff of 3,970. The employees of the railway company are unionized in the regional association , in SYPROLUX or in the neutral train staff association.

The CFL is 94% owned by the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, 4% by the Kingdom of Belgium and 2% by the French Republic .

Since February 29, 2020, all CFL trains within Luxembourg can be used in 2nd class and all local public transport free of charge. Only 1st class remains chargeable. This measure is intended to calm the traffic situation in Luxembourg.

history

On March 2, 1857, the Société royale grand-ducale des chemins de fer Guillaume-Luxembourg (GL) was founded, on June 6 of that year it awarded the operating rights of the Luxembourg network to be built for 50 years to the French railway company Chemin de fer de l'Est (EST). The first line opened on August 11, 1859, with the line from Luxembourg train station to the French border in the direction of Thionville .

On December 9, 1871, the EST had to cede its routes in Alsace-Lorraine to the German Empire , which largely isolated its Luxembourg network. The following year it was taken over by the Reichseisenbahnen in Alsace-Lorraine (EL).

After the First World War , the regular-gauge Luxembourg railway network belonged to the French administration des chemins de fer d'Alsace et de Lorraine (AL), which in 1938 became part of the Société nationale des chemins de fer français (SNCF) in the Région Est . The CFL was founded on May 14, 1946 and received operating rights for a period of 99 years.

CFL 1604 ( NOHAB licensed construction from AFB ) in Goebelsmühle
Six-axle diesel-electric locomotive in 1820 in Luxembourg (City) , 1988
Locomotive 907 of the French type BB 63500 in Luxembourg (city), 1988
Locomotive 3602 of the CFL class 3600 in Esch-sur-Alzette , 1988

Rail network

Series 2000 electric multiple units in Luxembourg station (2009)

Diesel multiple unit 212 in Wiltz (1989)

The CFL owned the rail network it operates today until 1995, when the Luxembourg state became its owner by virtue of the law of May 10, 1995. At that time, the operation, maintenance and expansion of the infrastructure were transferred to the CFL. To this day the CFL is the sole operator of the national Luxembourg rail network.

The main train station in Luxembourg City ( French: Gare Centrale ) is the central point of the 274 km long, star-shaped railway network.

The following railway lines come together at Luxembourg station:

Luxembourg – Troisvierges (76.8 km, via Trois Ponts to Liège; the northern line ) branches
- in Ettelbrück to Diekirch (4.1 km)
- in Kautenbach to Wiltz (9 km; previously to Bastogne )
Luxembourg – Bettembourg (16.6 km) via Thionville to Metz in France
Luxemburg – Kleinbettingen (18.8 km) on to Arlon and Brussels in Belgium
Luxemburg – Wasserbillig (37.4 km, heading east through the Syrtal to the Moselle) on to Trier - Wittlich - Bullay - Cochem - Koblenz , Germany
Pétange-Luxembourg (20,4 km), in Pétange ( fr. Pétange) is connection to France / Belgium

See also: Historic railway lines and narrow-gauge railways

On December 10, 2017, the CFL introduced a direct connection from Luxembourg to Düsseldorf (via Koblenz and Cologne ).

The CFL also operates the Pfaffenthal-Kirchberg funicular .

Fares

Since February 29, 2020, the 2nd class has been free of charge. Tickets are only required in 1st class.

The Rhineland-Palatinate Ticket + Luxembourg is valid as a day network ticket for all local trains and means of transport of the transport associations in Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. It applies in Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland from Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 a.m. the following day, on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays from 12 a.m. to 3 a.m. the following day, and in Luxembourg daily from 12 a.m. to 3 a.m. the following day. Since February 29, 2020 it has cost the same price as the Rhineland-Palatinate ticket.

If you are traveling from Koblenz / Cochem / Trier to Luxembourg, the Luxembourg Special Ticket is offered, which enables you to travel there and back at reduced prices to all Luxembourg train stations and back. In contrast to the Rhineland-Palatinate Ticket + Luxembourg, it is also valid in Germany from Monday to Friday from midnight to 3 a.m. the following day.

vehicles

CFL double-decker multiple unit during test drive in Augsburg (2014)

Since the number of Luxembourg rail vehicles does not justify their own developments, most designs are based on those of the Belgian, German and French neighboring railways.

The CFL fleet is on average the most modern and youngest in Europe. A train attendant travels around the clock on all CFL trains . Modern push-pull trains are used , consisting of double-decker cars from the manufacturer Bombardier , which are moved by locomotives from the Bombardier TRAXX series. There are also a large number of somewhat older and more modern electric multiple units .

Since the entire rail network for passenger transport in Luxembourg is electrified today, there are no longer any diesel-powered passenger trains . Only a few short industrial tracks are not electrified, for this reason the CFL continues to use some diesel locomotives for freight transport.

Since December 2014, the Luxembourg railway company CFL has been using eight new double-decker multiple units of the Stadler KISS type for operation on the RE 11 between Koblenz and Luxembourg. These run between Trier and Koblenz coupled with the Süwex -Flirt of Deutsche Bahn.

From December 2018, the establishment of an RB line between Wittlich and Dommeldange is also planned, for which the CFL will procure another five Stadler Kiss. In December, the CFL ordered 34 Alstom Coradia railcars, which are to be delivered from the Barcelona plant from 2021.