NEW TRAIN TIMETABLE FROM 10 DECEMBER 2017
On 27 June 2017CFL projects are presented
On Monday, 26 June 2017, François Bausch and the CFL presented the details of the timetable changes that will take effect from 10 December 2017.
“These projects reflect a quantum leap in the history of the railway,” François Bausch was pleased to announce in his introduction as he presented the CFL projects on 26 June. “The budget being invested between 2013 and 2023 is some 3.8 billion euros, more than twice as much as the 1.3 billion invested between 2003 and 2013. The timetable changes will come into effect on 10 December 2017, at the same time as the tram starts to run, and the opening of both Pfaffenthal-Kirchberg station and Howald Peripheral Station, which will operate as true multimodality hubs.”
From 1980 to 2005, the number of passengers per year increased from 14 million to 22.5 million, which resulted in many problems with capacity and bottlenecks, in particular in Luxembourg City, Bettembourg and Pétange-Rodange. Inevitably this had a dreadful impact on train punctuality.
From 10 December 2017, both new rail infrastructures will enable passengers coming from the North and South of Luxembourg to travel to Kirchberg, and even Ban de Gasperich without having to change trains in Luxembourg City station. “The time it takes to travel from Ettelbruck to Kirchberg will be reduced from 47 to 25 minutes and from Esch/Alzette to Kirchberg from 44 to 36 minutes,” Minister Bausch explained.
New cross-border lines will be created; which means that lines 70, 60, 30 and 10 will become interconnected and some lines will be extended. There are also plans to provide more buses with, for example, a new direct bus line between Dudelange and Kirchberg, while certain trains will be transformed to provide a shuttle service, for example Virton-Rodange.
Furthermore, many other projects will have been completed by 2023, such as the two new platforms at Luxembourg City station, the modernisation of Mersch, Wasserbillig and Ettelbruck railway stations which will each have its own P+R facility, the refurbishment of Bettembourg railway station, the second Luxembourg-Bettembourg line, as well as the installation of free wi-fi in stations and on CFL trains and buses.
